


Opposites Attract

by twotonedtiger



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Monarchshipping - Freeform, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:26:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23693095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twotonedtiger/pseuds/twotonedtiger
Summary: It's amazing how one chance meeting can lead to a Domino Effect of events that can change one's life.
Relationships: Atem/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 24
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into writing fanfiction. Sorry if there are formatting mistakes, as I am still getting used to AO3's way of doing things. Also I am taking some tiny creative liberties with some things in the story, most notably Atem's hair just to set him apart from Yami and Yuugi. I hope you enjoy!

Atem sighed in aggravation for what felt like the fifth time in so many minutes. This was why he hated going into Old Town Domino. The format of the roads were from a bygone era, complicated and not very well marked, and there wasn't much in the way of landmarks to help navigate. Frowning, he glanced back at his hastily written directions held in one tanned hand against the steering wheel. The bubbly script of his sister's handwriting taunted him.

_Turtle Game Shop_   
_north past the intersection of Pazuru and Chesu_   
_yellow building, green roof, you can't miss it!_   
_If you see a temple with a dog topiary out front, you went too far!_

He felt like he had been trying to find this 'Turtle Game Shop' for over an hour, though when he stole a look at his dashboard clock, it had been just forty minutes since he began this expedition. He couldn't find either of the streets mentioned, and you'd think such a garishly colored building would be more noticeable. _'Why am I doing this, again?'_ Well, he knew why, but that didn't stop him from feeling petulant about it. It was a favor for his sister to come all the way out here from New Town Domino and look for this hole-in-the-wall game shop in hopes they carried a copy of a game she wanted but was sold out everywhere in the usual game shops they visited.

  
Why his sister thought this place he'd never heard of and didn't even have its own website would have a new mainstream game, he couldn't fathom. He was just gonna have to tell her they'd order it online, he didn't want to spend his already limited free time driving around Old Town. Making his decision, he pulled down one last side street and into a round-about to look for a way back onto the main road when it saw it. There, just off the round-about, in all its yellow and green glory. It was a two story building with 'GAME' in bold letters above a bright red entrance.

  
Atem tightly set his jaw. _'Of course.'_ He proceeded around the round-about and, more sharply than he intended, pulled into the tiny five-space parking lot next to the building. Taking a moment to try and cool his mood, he flipped down the driver side visor to check himself in the mirror. It was bothersomely humid, and it was having an adverse effect on his long, wavy hair. After running a hand briskly through his gold streaked reddish-brown mane and wishing he had a hair tie with him, he finally exited the vehicle and approached the front door to the Turtle Game Shop, pressing a button on his key ring to remotely lock the car. _'It doesn't look like much, but let's see what they've got,'_ Atem thought as he pushed the door open and a little jingling bell rang to announce his entrance.

  
The cool air conditioning of the building washed over him as he stepped inside and paused, letting the door click into place behind him while he took in his surroundings. The interior was rather small and despite the two storied structure of the building, it appeared the first story was the only one in use. The aged plaster walls were lined with shelves and racks displaying mostly various puzzles, board games, and tabletop game paraphernalia, though there seemed to be a little section for electronics off to the side.

  
"Welcome to Turtle Game Shop," a smooth male voice floated from the back, drawing his attention to an opened door behind a long glass counter. A moment later a young man walked through the door and into the space behind the counter with a clipboard in hand. "If you need help finding anything, let me know."

  
Atem couldn't help but feel a little surprised; he almost expected an old man to be minding the shop, given the place's, uh... classic selection. But this person looked maybe late teens, early twenties, at most. He looked like a delinquent, because why else would someone wear so much black? Black button-up shirt, black jeans, a multitude of black wristlets of some indeterminate material on both wrists and, if Atem had to guess, black shoes probably. It all stood out against the wearer's pale skin. The other's face, however, had an austere no-nonsense vibe to it that gave the impression of adult maturity regardless of attire. And the eyes... Atem had never seen eyes such a deep crimson.

* * *

Yami blinked, slowly and in mild annoyance, as this man who just entered his establishment had yet to respond and simply just stared at him. He squinted imperceptibly, wondering what the hell his problem was. Maybe he was lost because the other man very obviously looked like he was from the New Town sector, what with his smart off-white dress shirt and charcoal grey slacks, and the fact Yami had never seen him before.

  
After another moment of silence, when Yami was about to snap that it was rude to stare, the other man finally seemed to snap out of... whatever that was.

  
"Ah, sorry," the man said, with a carefully crafted smile on his face as he approached the counter. If Yami wasn't so good at interpreting poker faces it could have passed for genuine,"I'm wondering if you have the new game _Perplexing Puzzles_ that just came out for the Epsilon V2."

  
Yami tapped his pencil against the corner of the clipboard as he minutely tilted his head in thought. It was a pretty popular game, brand new as of four days ago, and several copies had already been sold. His eyes slid over to the small rack against the wall where console games were on display and settled on the vacant spot where he remembered putting several copies of the game, all of them gone now. He thought briefly of telling this guy that he was out of stock but quickly shot that idea down. The shop needed the money.

  
"Let me check the back room," he said, setting his clipboard and pencil on the table before turning and walking back into the room he originally walked in from.

* * *

  
Atem watched him go--yep, black sneakers--before flicking his wine-colored eyes down at the clipboard. He couldn't help it, he was a curious creature by nature. It looked to be a ledger and once again he felt surprised because the fact there were people who actually still did this by hand anymore and not electronically was unbelievable. He shook his head and only then did he notice a small plaque screwed into the side of the register that read in blocky font and all caps 'CASH ONLY'. He groaned and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, because who carried cash anymore in this day and age?

  
It was at that time the young punk-looking man returned from the back room holding a game case with _Perplexing Puzzles_ 's logo printed on it. "Lucky you, this is the last one," he drawled, placing the container on the counter.

  
Atem rubbed his face with a hand. "Sorry, I just noticed the sign on your register. I only carry a debit card on me. Could I ask you to hold that for me until I'm able to pick it up tomorrow?"

  
"I don't hold merchandise," came the curt reply.

  
Atem could feel his temper from earlier's bad mood begin to stir, but he kept himself controlled. "Please?" he attempted to appeal. "It's my sister's birthday in a couple days and it's the only thing she wants. I swear I will come tomorrow with cash for it. I haven't been able to find it anywhere else."

  
The young store operator looked at him, frowning slightly, before huffing a sigh through his nose. He slid the plastic game container off the counter with one hand and opened the drawer behind the counter with the other. "Fine," he said, surly. "But if you don't show up, it's free game." He placed the game in the drawer then bumped it shut with his leg.

  
For the first time since he walked in, Atem felt an earnest grin creep onto his face. "Thanks," he expressed. "Do I need to give you a name, or..?"

  
"No. I'll remember you."

  
"Alright, seeya tomorrow," Atem flashed another grin at the young man, who only grunted in reply, before exiting the store. It didn't register to him until he was sitting in the driver's seat of his car and sliding the key into the ignition, that he would have to come back here through the labyrinth of Old Town yet again tomorrow. The thought made him frown. Mana owed him big time.

* * *

  
A few hours later, Yami was leaning against the wall behind the counter and flipping through a gaming magazine when a car pulling up to the curb out front caught his attention. He thought he recognized it, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw a small boy exit the backseat with a backpack slung over his shoulder, saying something and waving to someone else in the car backseat. The vehicle drove away as the child approached the shop door.

  
"Hey, Yuugi," he greeted his eleven year old brother as the door opened. He returned the magazine to the stand on the counter, an authentic smile unfolding on his face for the first time today. "Did you have fun at Anzu's house?"

  
"Hi, Yami!", the child, Yuugi, shined a bright smile at his older brother as he closed the door and bounced further into the shop. "Yeah I did! We finished our worksheets at her house."

  
"Good," Yami knelt down as his brother approached him, arms out just in time for his young kin to throw his arms around his neck in a hug. Yami embraced him in return, the contented smile on his face becoming more firm. After a moment he took gentle hold of Yuugi's upper arms and stepped him back to look at him. "I'll close up early then and we can play a game before I get dinner started. How does that sound?"

  
He watched Yuugi's eyes lit up at the idea. "That sounds great!" his brother exclaimed and all but ran up the stairs to their living area.

  
Yami chuckled quietly as he withdrew a bulky ring of keys from his pocket. The next several minutes were spent locking display cases, pulling the retractable bars over the front windows, locking up the door and switching the sign, and setting the store alarm. Once everything was set, lights were flicked off and Yami retreated up the stairs.

  
He found Yuugi kneeling on the floor in the living room, rummaging around in a big cardboard box that housed their collection of board games. Deadbolting the door that led down to the shop, Yami toed off his sneakers before joining his brother. "Do you want to play something specific?" he asked, kneeling down next to the small boy.

  
Yuugi hummed thoughtfully, his small hands grasping the edge of the box. "Well," his light voice began while he cast a hopeful grin up at his older brother, "could you help me practice Shogi some more? I want to join the Junior Shogi Club next year and I'd like to get better."

  
"Of course," Yami answered with am indulgent smile. He reached into the box, withdrawing the Shogi board and two small plastic bags of its accompanying pieces and took them to the dining table with Yuugi happily following him.

  
They set the board up, engaged in a brief rock-paper-scissors to determine sides, and the game was on.

  
Yami did not go easy on his little brother, because as far as he was concerned, Yuugi would learn nothing if he did. Despite his age his brother was smart as a whip and had sharp talent when it came to strategy games so there wasn't any real need to go easy. The goal of their Shogi sessions wasn't to gain victory anyway, at least on his end. His aim was to teach, to coach, to help Yuugi recognize strategies and develop his own. And Yuugi lapped it all up eagerly, as idolizing as he was of his older brother.

  
By the time 8:30 PM rolled around, several games and dinner had come and gone and Yuugi tried to innocently sidle to his room, hoping his older sibling wouldn't notice. But little got passed Yami's perceptive eye when it came to his brother, and Yuugi didn't get very far before he felt a firm but gentle hands grip his upper arms from behind and steer him into the bathroom.

  
"Oh no you don't," Yami smirked at his little brother's dramatic sigh. "You still need to take your medication."

  
"Aw, alright," Yuugi pouted and waited near the bathroom counter while Yami fished into the medicine cabinet, and withdrew a prescription bottle. The boy grumbled more when a rounded, white pill was presented to him along with a little paper cup of water. Obediently, he chucked the pill into his mouth and washed it down with the proffered water while Yami washed his hands.

  
"Good boy," Yami praised, drying his hands on a small towel hanging up near the sink. "Finish washing up and I'll tuck you in."

  
"Okay," Yuugi shuddered lightly as the bitter taste of the pill still lingered in his mouth.

  
It was over an hour later by the time Yami had tucked Yuugi in for the night, cleaned up the kitchen, put away the mess of their impromptu game night, and finished his nightly routine. He wobbled his way into his room and collapsed face down on the bed, exhausted. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, content to just lay there haphazardly at an angle on the bed, for a few minutes while he tried to summon the energy to put himself to bed properly.

  
Unbidden, thoughts of earlier today floated into his mind. Specifically, those of the man who came in for the _Perplexing Puzzles_ game. He snorted tiredly at the mental image of the man's bronze skin, chic clothes, and ostentatious hair that cascaded over his shoulders. _'He looked like a fuckboy,'_ Yami thought, irritably, unsure why he was thinking about it at all. He finally pushed himself up and slid under the blankets, settling in. _'I'll be surprised if he even shows up tomorrow,'_ were his last coherent thoughts before he finally drifted off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a bigger chapter, now that I feel a little more confident. Maybe I will revisit chapter one in the future and flesh it out a bit more. Enjoy!

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE--_

  
A hand shot out and fumbled blindly at the radio clock on the nightstand, fingers finding the switch to turn off the alarm before the hand slunk back to drag over its tired owner's face. _'6 AM already?'_ Yami thought blearily. He felt like he had just fallen asleep. Heaving a sigh he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, stretching, as he thought about his morning routine. First order of business, get bathroom necessities out of the way before waking Yuugi. 

  
Yami pushed himself onto his feet and went to the closet to round up a set of fresh clothes before exiting his room, padding down the hall and entering the bathroom where he got a hot shower out of the way. Afterwards, clean and feeling only marginally better, he walked into his brother's room at 6:30 on the dot while applying chapstick to his lips.

  
"Yuugi," he intoned softly as he approached the bed where his young kin was sprawled out on his stomach. Yami reached out and gently combed his fingers through his brother's hair. "It's time to wake up." 

  
The small child groaned and stirred, burying his face further into the pillow.

  
"Mmm not yet Yami..."

  
Yami smiled fondly at his brother's typical response.

  
"Come on, Yuugi. Up and at 'em."

  
Yuugi groaned again and stirred some more, but showed intention to rise for the morning. Satisfied, Yami withdrew from the bed and moved back to the door, flipping the room light on for good measure.

  
"Hop into the shower and I'll have breakfast for you when you're done," Yami said and, after hearing Yuugi's sleepy, yawning 'kay', swept down the hallway and turned into the main area of the living area that housed the open floor living room and kitchen. He busied himself with the process of making breakfast for Yuugi while letting his thoughts wander.

  
Two eggs were cracked into a pan on the stove, already sizzling from the heat. Yami shifted the liquidy contents around in the pan with a spatula, paying only the barest amount of attention while they solidified into scrambled eggs. The day had barely even started and he was still so tired...

  
When the eggs finished cooking, he scraped them out onto a plate along with a slice of toast slathered with jam just in time for Yuugi, dressed and looking significantly more awake after bathing, to come into the room.

  
"Morning, Yami," Yuugi chirped, beaming at his brother as he slid into a chair at the kitchen table.

  
"Good morning, Yuugi," Yami answered, bringing the plate and a cup of orange juice to the table and placing them down in front of his brother. "How are you feeling this morning?"

  
Yuugi thanked him and took a big bite of the toast. "Alright, I guess.. my hands feel a little cold."

  
Yami hummed at that and turned back into the kitchen, this time opening a cupboard next to the fridge. He withdrew a large, white plastic bottle and twisted the cap off. A red tablet that had been cut in half was shook out into his hand, and after he returned the bottle to the cupboard, Yami returned to Yuugi and placed the half tablet on the table next to the emptying plate of food.

  
"Have one of these today after you're done eating." 

  
Yuugi nodded obediently with a mouthful of scrambled eggs and Yami returned to the kitchen again, this time to wash the pan he used. He let his mind wander again as he lazily scrubbed the pan with a wet soapy sponge. He felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn't remember what. He vaguely heard Yuugi come into the kitchen to put his dishes in the dishwasher and scamper off again to finish getting ready for school while he went over his mental morning checklist. 

  
'Whatever,' he thought, dismissing the feeling. 'If it's important, I'll remember it.'

  
_I'll remember it._

  
_Do I need to give you a name, or..?_

  
_No. I'll remember you._

  
Oh, that's right. That guy from yesterday. Pan now clean and placed in the drying rack, he went about fixing a slice of toast for himself, not really feeling up to eating more than that this morning. He found himself idly wondering if that man was going to actually show up today, then wondered why he was wondering that at all.

  
Yami was brought out of his aimless thinking when he saw Yuugi come back into the living room, dressed and a backpack slung over his shoulders. He pushed away from the kitchen counter, brushing the crumbs away from his hands against his dark jeans as he walked towards his brother.

  
"Do you want me to walk you to school today?" 

  
"Ah," was Yuugi's response as he averted his eyes, fingers fidgeting against the straps of his backpack. "I was going to meet up with Anzu along the way..."

  
Yami grinned slyly at his brother when a faint blush crossed the younger's cheeks.

  
"Oh, well I wouldn't want to be a third wheel," he teased.

  
"Y-you're not! It's just.. well, you know.. I mean..."

  
Yami laughed at his little brother's red-faced stammering and walked over to him, planting an affectionate kiss to the top of his head. "I'm just giving you a hard time, Yuugi. Have a good day and I'll see you this afternoon."

  
Yuugi smiled up at him, still blushing lightly, and bounced over to a set of stairs that descended to a door, which led out to the back of the building. "Bye, Yami!" he bid his brother before he was down the steps and out of the house. 

  
Yami's grin morphed into a content smile as he set about preparing himself for work, the balm of Yuugi's brief presence already making him feel better than he had earlier this morning.

* * *

  
When 6 AM rolled around, a smartphone resting on a nightstand suddenly pinged to life, filling the dark room with a series of chimes. Atem shifted in bed to reach over and grab his phone, his movements disturbing the two Siamese cats that were practically laying on top of him. They took their time getting to their paws, stretching, before jumping down to the floor while their owner turned off his alarm and also stretched. He lingered in bed for a few minutes, eyes still cloudy from sleep, as he thumbed through his phone briefly.

  
Once he felt more alert Atem hopped out of bed, clad only in a pair of red boxers, and strode across the room to the bedroom door. Both cats followed him eagerly, meowing loudly.

  
"Oh hush, I hear you!" Atem griped, walking through the open door and immediately making his way through his high rise condo in the direction of the kitchen. Once there, he withdrew two small cans of wet cat food and two stainless steel pet bowls from the pantry. The cats curled around his legs purring loudly as he stood at the counter, dishing the food out into the bowls. Only when the bowls were placed on the kitchen floor did they leave the man alone.

  
That taken care of, Atem returned to his bedroom and detoured to the connected bathroom to begin his rather extensive self maintenance. He was just finishing up carefully patting his hair dry with a towel post-shower when his cell rang from the bathroom counter. He draped the towel across his shoulders and picked up his phone. Recognizing the name on the ID, he pressed the button for speaker and placed it back on the counter.

  
"What's up, bitch?" he greeted his sister smoothly.

  
 _"Morning, dick!"_ a lively female voice answered. _"You in a good mood today?"_

  
"Remains to be seen, I'm still getting ready," Atem answered, watching himself in the mirror as he ran a brush slowly through his hair. "Why? You want to ruin it already?"

  
_"Weeeeeell..."_

  
"That sounds promising," he remarked sarcastically. "Well what, Mana?"

  
 _"Weeeeell,"_ the woman, Mana, prolonged again, _"I went into the office early this morning to check on the status of the big shipment that was supposed to be arriving last night."_

  
Atem immediately decided he didn't like the way she said 'supposed to be', but said nothing as he took his phone up and exited the bathroom en route to his closet.

  
 _"The ship did arrive, I saw it myself when I went to the port to follow up. It's just, the cargo.."_ she trailed off.

  
"What's wrong with it, did some get damaged?" Atem asked as he scanned his wardrobe. It was uncommon for cargo to shift and get banged up in transit, but it still did happen, especially on a boat. But that's what insurance was for. He decided on a cream colored dress shirt with charcoal grey slacks, pulling them off their respective hangers.

  
_"....It's not there."_

  
Atem stopped in the middle of laying his chosen outfit on the bed, unsure he heard right.

  
"What do you mean, it's not there?"

  
_"It wasn't on the boat."_

  
"Yes, but why wasn't it on the boat?!" Atem snapped, his actions taking on a high degree of haste now as he pulled his clothes on.

  
_"That's what I asked, they called the port of origin and apparently it's still sitting there in the warehouse. It wasn't even loaded!"_

  
"Holy fuckin' shit," Atem stormed into the living room fully dressed now, lint roller in one hand and phone still on speaker in the other. He located his dark grey jacket draped over the back of the couch and briskly ran the roller over it to mop up all the cat hair it had accumulated. "We have never had an error like that. Who was responsible for that monumental fuckup?"

  
_"One of their new dock guys mislabeled the sheet and marked it as loaded. No one thought to double check."_

  
"Incompetence all around, it seems," Atem muttered, fuming. He slid his jacket on, still holding his phone on speaker and only imagining the mess he was going to walk into when he got to the office. "Did you speak to the client yet?"

  
 _"Yes,"_ Mana answered quickly. _"I apologized very sincerely on behalf of Hassan Shipping Company but they are pissed. They want to talk to you as soon as you get here."_

  
"Fan-fucking-tastic," Atem seethed, switching the phone off speaker and bringing it to his ear. He grabbed his keys on the way out and all but slammed the door behind him as he exited the condo. "Is there anything else I need to know about?"

  
_"Not that I can think of. Sorry, 'Tem. I didn't want to drop all this on you so early but I wanted you to know what to expect when you got here."_

  
"No," he grumbled into his phone as he boarded the elevator down to the parking garage. "I'm glad you told me now. Gives me time to mentally prepare."

  
_"I'll let you go, then. See you when you get here. Bye, dick."_

  
"Later, bitch," Atem sighed heavily as he hung up. He could already feel a migraine beginning to pulse at his temples. This was going to severely damage relations with this particular client, who was already a difficult bastard to deal with. He approached his car, a silver Mercedes-Benz, and unlocked it remotely before sliding into the driver's seat. As he turned the ignition, his eyes caught to a familiar post-it note tucked into the center console. His fingers reached over and plucked it up, and the directions to the Turtle Game Shop looked back at him.

  
Atem frowned as he returned the note to its previous place. He'd completely forgotten about having to go back there today and pick up Mana's game. He was sorely tempted to disregard it and order the game online just to get out of going back to Old Town, but he remembered promising the sharp-eyed young man at the counter that he would be back, and Atem keeps his promises.

  
As he pulled out of the parking garage, he steered with one hand while his other was busy tapping a reminder into his phone for this afternoon. 

* * *

  
Much of the day had come and gone, and since the majority of business came in during afterschool hours and weekends, Yami was bored for most of it. And with boredom came melancholic thoughts. He was seated in an old computer chair behind the counter, leaning back with one leg crossed over the other and a gaming catalogue sprawled open over his lap that he wasn't really paying attention to. One elbow was propped up on the chair's armrest, the side of his head resting against the knuckles of one fist, and eyes unfocused vaguely onto the counter in front of him.

  
He and Yuugi were just barely skating by in terms of money. He supposed he could blame it on waning popularity of the shop's primary focus, traditional games, but that wasn't entirely true. It was also in part to competition. There were, he begrudgingly acknowledged, better game shops in New Town that had a far better selection than he could hope to stock. In order to stock such things, the shop needed money. To get the money, he needed to sell. It was like a vicious cycle he was stuck in where he saw no way out.

  
All it would take is Yuugi's condition, his anemia that lingered on him like a wraith, to take a turn for the worst and he'd be looking at medical debt and the very real likelihood of his brother taken from him by CPS. His chest constricted at the thought, and a heavy thought it was. It weighed on him every day, especially when Yuugi looked at him with that adoring smile. Thinking about the possibility of waking up one day and not being able to see it made his heart clench.

  
Yami released a long, deep sigh through his nose as he closed his eyes. He was only nineteen, yet he felt exhausted enough to pass for over twice that. He missed his mother, grandfather, and the pillars of security they provided. He didn't think he was depressed, not really. Wasn't everyone entitled to some intrusive thoughts once in a while?

  
He saw movement by the shop door and his eyes focused on it. It was Yuugi, arriving home from school. Yami quickly wiped any evidence of his despondence from his face. He refused to let Yuugi see him in such a state and a practiced smile crossed his face as his little brother heaved the shop door open to enter.

  
"Hi, Yami!" Yuugi beamed at him, running up to and around the counter to hug his brother.

  
Yami's smile became more genuine as he reached over with one arm and returned Yuugi's squeeze. "Welcome home, Yuugi. Do you want an afterschool snack or anything?"

  
"No, that's alright. I feel really good," Yuugi answered. "Is it okay if I hang out down here while I do my worksheets?"

  
"Sure." Yami turned the chair towards the wall to his right and reached for the wooden stool that was sitting on top of a box in the corner. He placed it on the ground next to him, and Yuugi scrabbled up on top of it, homework in hand.

  
Several minutes passed with the only sounds being the scratching of pencil on paper and the occasional fluttering sound whenever Yami turned a page in the gaming catalogue, when the sound of the door opening and accompanying jingle caused both pairs of eyes to look up.

  
Yami raised a single brow, mildly surprised. 

  
The well-dressed guy from yesterday strolled into the shop and seemed amused at the astonishment he received. 

  
"You look surprised to see me. I told you I'd come back," Atem crowed. He stopped at the counter, one hand on his hip. His eyes flicked from the dark red gaze leveled at him to the big, curious lavender one of the child sitting on a stool. "Yo," he greeted the cute kid with a grin.

  
"Hi," came a quiet, meek reply.

  
Yami grunted and pushed himself back up onto his feet, drawing Atem's wine-hued eyes back to him.

  
"I suppose you did," he assented, pulling the drawer open and withdrawing the _Perplexing Puzzles_ game he had stored there.

  
"Yami," Yuugi stage-whispered none too discreetly from his side. "Is he your friend?"

  
"No," Yami answered firmly, placing the game container on the counter top. "I'm not friends with delinquents. That'll be 3500 yen."

  
Atem's eyes widened. _Delinquent? Him?_

  
"Delinquent? Me?" his voice echoed his thoughts with equal indignation. "Have you seen yourself?" Atem gestured one-handedly at Yami while his other fished his wallet from his pocket. "Do you always dress like you're getting ready to go take a baseball bat to unsuspecting peoples' mailboxes?" He withdrew a 5000 yen note and slid it across the counter top with an index finger.

  
"And do you always dress like you're too old to be picking up college girls at bars but does so anyway?" Yami quipped back, smirking as he retrieved the money from the counter and clicking open the register. His fingers made quick work in pulling the required change from within with practiced efficiency.

  
Atem scoffed at that as he was handed his change, which he stuffed into his wallet. "Just how old do you think I am?"

  
"I really couldn't fathom. Thirty?" Yami smirked at the incredulous look he received.

  
"You've got to be having one over on me. I do not look thirty."

  
Yami shrugged, sinking back into his chair and propping a leg over the other. "You asked."

  
Atem simply pff'd, reaching out and gathering the game he paid for from the counter. He noticed the smaller one staring curiously at him still.

  
"Um," Yuugi ventured, shyly. He'd never seen his older brother talk so much to another person before that wasn't his teacher or doctor, so surely this guy must be okay to speak to. "Are you a gamer?"

  
Yami looked at his little brother, surprised. Yuugi never engaged with strangers before, usually opting to pretending to be invisible unless directly addressed. The fact he actually initiated conversation with one was a huge breakthrough in his development, and Yami was content to sit back and see how it played out.

  
Atem grinned at the child, kids being one of his very few soft spots. "You could say I'm a bit of a hobbyist."

  
Yuugi was wide-eyed, contemplative. "Really? You don't look like a gamer."

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"Well, I mean.." Yuugi didn't know how to say, so he just pointed at Atem.

  
Atem looked down at himself, arms out by his sides questioningly, then looked back into bright lavender eyes. "What?"

  
"You're, like, all buff!"

  
Yami blinked, trying really hard to keep his cheeks from twitching and mostly succeeding.

  
Atem also blinked, and looked down at himself again.

  
Yuugi continued to point, almost accusingly.

  
"Uhh," Atem started, thrown and feeling a little self conscious suddenly. "Yeah, I guess."

  
"Do you work out?" Yuugi continued to ask, intrigued. "Like in a real gym?"

  
"Sometimes."

  
"That's so cool!" Yuugi grinned, eyes bright, then turned to his brother. "Yami! You gotta help me work out so I can get tall!" 

  
Atem couldn't help but chuckle. What a cute fuckin' kid.

  
Yami smiled against his will at his little brother's exuberance. "I don't think that's how it works, Yuugi." He turned his eyes back down to the gaming catalogue and flipped a page. "Besides, you are more suited for intellectual battles, not being a meathead."

  
Atem squinted at the thinly veiled insult, and did not miss the way this guy's-- _Yami's_ , now he had a name for this punk-- scarlet eyes flicked up at him under his lashes as he delivered it.

  
"You think I'm a meathead, do you?" Atem pressed one palm on the counter and leaned forward.

  
Yami didn't even bother looking up at him, slowly flicking over a page in the magazine. "I said no such thing."

  
"Just implied it." 

  
"What you think I'm implying is of no concern to me."

  
"Ohhh, you little brat," Atem felt a peculiar fire burning in him, centered right behind his sternum, that he couldn't discern the meaning of. "I bet I could thrash you at any game in here."

  
Yuugi gasped, and Yami did lift his eyes this time in a slow, calculating manner to meet Atem's challenging gaze. He leaned back into his chair and propped one elbow up on the armrest, fingers curling loosely in the air. The posture made Atem feel like even though he was physically looking down _at_ Yami, Yami was the one looking down _on_ him.

  
"You come into this kingdom and seek to challenge its king?" Yami spoke, smirking darkly. 

  
"Damn right. In fact," Atem went on fiercely, the fire in him burning hotter at the other's words, "bring your best game forward and I'll crush you."

  
The silence in the shop was immediate and heavy. Yuugi glanced between the two of them. He imagined that if this were an anime, there would be visual indicators like lightning bolts between them.

  
"Yuugi."

  
Yuugi jumped, startled, then turned to his brother. "Yeah?"

  
"Go get the Shogi board."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I knew enough about Shogi to go deeper into individual turns but I really couldn't wrap my head around it! Hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless. ^^

As Yuugi's feet excitedly pounded up the stairs to their living area to heed his brother's request, the eyes of the two men left below didn't falter from one other; one a gleaming dark scarlet and the other a challenging, fiery wine-red. Only a few moments passed before the heavy silence was broken.

  
"So," Yami began, his lips curving into what Atem could only describe as a Cheshire cat's grin as he eyed his opposition from across the counter. "What is your name, so I know what to tell the mortuary after you die of embarrassment?"

  
Atem knew it was bait, and knew he shouldn't bite, but he felt compelled by an otherworldly force to snap it up hungrily. He leaned forward more, his other hand coming to rest atop the counter as a smirk of his own quirked the corner of his mouth. "My name is Atem, and are you sure you want to go through with this?" He asked, sounding as condescending as possible. "I would hate to shame you in front of your brother."

  
"We will see," Yami said, quiet and cryptic, as they both heard the light steps of Yuugi coming back down the stairs. He appeared in the doorway, Shogi set in his arms, and delivered the bundle to Yami who stood up from his chair. Atem moved his hands from the counter to make room as the Shogi board was placed there between them, and Yami began setting the pieces out onto their respective sides.

  
Yuugi jumped back onto his stool, eyes aglow. "Can I watch, Yami? Please?" he begged.

  
"Did you finish your homework?" Yami calmly asked as he continued setting the Shogi tiles across the board.

  
Yuugi chewed his bottom lip, eyes cast to the side and down at his unfinished worksheet, before turning them back up at Yami, who made the mistake of looking back at him at that moment. He was met with his little brother's greatest weapon then; his large eyes that glistened with just the right amount of hope and a brilliant, optimistic smile. "No, but.. I promise I will after dinner. Please let me watch?" Yuugi pleaded.

  
Atem felt both amusement and sympathy as he watched Yami actually cringe at the look his brother was giving him. Amusement at how easy this smug punk was getting worked over by the oldest trick in the book, and sympathy because, well... he's been on the receiving end of such looks from his own sister on several occasions.

  
When Yami sighed deeply, Yuugi knew he had him. "Fine," he told his younger sibling as he placed the last of the tiles on the board, ignoring how Yuugi's expression morphed into that of victory. "But don't make a habit out of putting off your homework, alright?" When Yuugi gave him an enthusiastic nod, Yami turned his dark eyes back to Atem and motioned at the board. "Since you are a guest here, I will give you the option of taking White, if you wish."

  
A bit surprised at the courteous gesture, Atem lifted his eyes from the board to connect with Yami's crimson gaze and what he saw there intrigued him. Gone was the arrogant tilt to his lips and imperious gleam in his eyes, replaced by an analytical focus that made Atem wonder for the first time what Yami's skill level actually was. He had best tread carefully. "It does not matter, I will take whichever side you designate me with," he answered.

  
"Confident," Yami murmured, and left the White side to his opponent. Yuugi scooted closer to the counter, elbows planted on the surface and chin resting in his palms, and watched as the Shogi game began with Atem's first move.

* * *

It was not an easy match for either side, and Yami had to admit that there was a real possibility that he could lose. He did not expect this pretentious meathead to have the level of ability to make him really work for a victory. As much as he enjoyed the pre-game banter, he had decided to go into it as if he were playing against an equal, and the decision probably saved him. If he had gone in sloppy and underestimating Atem, he would have lost ages ago to the other's aggressive playing style.

  
As it was now, it was still anyone's game, even after a staggering hour and a half of play. There were a few times when Yami had to disengage and deal with customers as he was still on the clock, and he was thankful for Atem's patient understanding of the situation and how he would wait for Yami's attention to return to the game before making his moves.

  
Yuugi, to his young mind's credit, tried very hard to follow the gameplay but eventually he was beginning to feel fatigued from trying to grasp the complicated strategies being presented. His arms were folded on the countertop now, head nestled within them, being lulled comfortably by the occasional clacking of tiles being moved against a wood surface. He had almost dozed off completely, until he heard the word that made him snap his eyes open and sit up.

  
"Checkmate." 

  
It was Yami who had spoken the word so ardently you'd think he had sealed a victory in actual warfare. He leaned back from his tense posture and released a breath, one hand raising to rub the tightness out of his brow from being furrowed for so long.

  
Atem's eyes stared hard at his checked King, both hands grasping the counter edge on either side of the board. He'd actually lost. "Damn," he breathed, but he felt a very satisfied smile sweep over his face. Loss or not, that was the best game he'd ever played. "You actually got me."

  
"I suppose you do have at least two brain cells to rub together, after all," he heard Yami's gratified voice say, and a hand extended his way over the board. "Good game, Atem." Atem lifted his gaze and extended his own to grasp the proffered hand in good sportsmanship, and when he met Yami's eyes he felt like all the air in his lungs got sucked out all at once.

  
Yami wasn't smirking at him, or grinning smugly, and it was very faint, just a subtle upturn at the corners of his mouth, but Yami was smiling at him. Though the smile itself was only part of what made Atem's breath lodge in his throat like a solid, sticky mass. It was the way Yami's scarlet eyes shone like the horizon during the last throes of a sunset, vivid and beautiful and like something that only happened when the time was right, that stole the air right out of his chest. It took a great force of will to force himself to breathe again.

  
"Yeah," Atem found himself dazedly smiling back, awed at the sight, and praying to every deity he could think of that he wasn't blushing. "Good game... Yami."

  
There was a period of a few moments when Atem could do literally nothing but stare while his brain short circuited when he saw Yami lift one brow bemusedly and flick that brilliant gaze downwards, then rise to meet his again. Atem tilted his eyes down and realized in mild horror that he was still grasping Yami's hand even after the other had relinquished the grip. He quickly let go and brought his own to his side; it felt so warm.

  
Yami said nothing as he began to pack up the Shogi tiles, but there was a definite smirk on his face now. An aggravated whine drew both of their attentions.

  
"I missed it!" Yuugi pouted in dismay, making his brother chuckle.

  
"I'm sure you'll have another opportunity to observe, Yuugi," Yami assured, sealing the plastic bags that contained the two sets of tile and setting them on top of the game board. "That is, assuming you can keep your eyes open next time. Now, don't you have some homework to go finish? I'll be up soon to get dinner started."

  
Yuugi heaved out a drawn-out sigh and slid off his stool, taking his abandoned worksheets and pencil in hand, but paused to look at Atem. "Um," he timidly began, voice hesitant. "Are you gonna come back to play my brother again?"

  
Yami pursed his lips and was about to gently admonish his little brother about asking such things of others, but Atem spoke before he could open his mouth.

  
"You bet," Atem grinned at the boy, the thought of returning here for another opportunity to play such an intense game appealing to him greatly. "There's no way I'm going to let your brother off the hook without a rematch."

  
Yuugi gave the man a luminous smile at his response. "Cool! See you later then!" And up the stairs he went. Yami watched him go over one shoulder, before turning his pensive red gaze back to Atem. 

  
"That is," Atem started, adding his own line of bait into the waters with a challenging smirk as their eyes met again, "unless you don't think you can come out on top a second time. I would completely understand if you wanted to end on a high note." 

  
Yami actually laughed, albeit quietly and briefly, a grin settling on his face as he pulled the drawer open behind the counter and withdrew a keyring laden with various keys. "Come back any time and I'll be glad to wipe the floor with you. Now get out of here so I can lock the door."

  
Atem had turned and started to make his way to the door, but Yami calling out to him made him pause and glance back. The young man was still standing behind the counter, that brazen smirk still on his face, the hand holding the ring of keys propped against his hip while the other was tapping an index finger against the case of the _Perplexing Puzzles_ game Atem had forgotten. Flustered, he returned to the counter and swept up the game.

  
"Thanks," Atem inwardly cringed and he decided he had to get out of there quick before he made more of an fool of himself. He cracked another grin at Yami as he moved again to the door with the intention to truly leave this time. "See you later."

  
Yami only hummed in response as he watched Atem step out of the shop into the natural light, the sun welcoming what was surely its favorite son back under its rays that made his bronze skin almost gleam. He observed, as Atem ran the long fingers of one hand through the wavy reddish-brown hair that settled beneath his shoulders, and under the sun he could see gold highlights mixed in. Atem then dipped two fingers into a pants pocket to retrieve a hair tie and proceeded to bundle up his locks to tie them back into a messy ponytail. Yami's eyes followed him as he turned toward the adjacent parking lot to disappear from view of the front windows and only when was he out of sight did Yami feel like he could blink. 

* * *

The late afternoon found Yami looming over the stove, carefully frying an assortment of chicken strips while a half box of pasta was boiling in a pot on the next burner over. The sounds of the cartoons Yuugi was watching in the living room floated in the air but Yami was all but deaf to it in his annoyance.

  
What was he thinking, ogling another man like that? He turned over each chicken strip with a set of tongs and they sizzled as the neglected sides came into contact with the searing pan. He most certainly did not have time for that kind of distraction. The shop and his brother were both full time jobs that monopolized his time in a way that couldn't be negotiated. The stove timer beeped and Yami turned down the heat under the pan of strips while he moved to the pot containing the now cooked pasta. Flipping the heat for it all the way off, he delicately hoisted the heavy pot over to the sink where a strainer sat. 

  
And really, someone like _Atem_? Was that _really_ his type? He slowly emptied the pot into the strainer and left the pasta to sit and drain while he went back to the chicken strips. Yami frowned in thought; did he even _have_ a type? He was younger than Yuugi is now when he was suddenly thrust into having to pick up the mantle of being a man of the house. Even when grandfather was still alive, he had no time to think about girlfriends, or even boyfriends, with how much work he had to do. It was something he still didn't think about.

  
He turned the heat for the strips completely off and used the tongs to split the strips between two waiting plates, then retrieved the strainer of pasta and portioned it out as well. Lastly, he reached for the sauce pan that was simmering on the backburner and poured the bright red sauce over both sets of noodles. Besides, he didn't even know Atem. He could be an absolute sleazeball for all Yami knew. A sleazeball that just happened to be a half decent Shogi player. 

  
"Yuugi, dinner's ready," Yami called out, depositing a fork onto each plate and taking them to the kitchen table. He placed one plate in front of Yuugi as he slid into a seat at the table, and the other in front of where he planned to sit.

  
"Chicken strips!" Yuugi cheered as he eagerly took up his fork. "My favorite! Thanks, Yami!" 

  
Yami just smiled, using his fork to cut a small square of chicken away. He twirled up some noodles onto his fork, then speared the prongs into the chicken square. "You can thank me by not giving me trouble when it's time for your meds." He grinned at Yuugi, sticking the forkful into his mouth.

  
"Ohh okay," Yuugi conceded, smiling around his own forkful of food. He chewed slowly, thinking. "Hey, Yami?" He asked after swallowing.

  
"Hmm?"

  
"What do you think of that guy earlier? What was his name again? Adam?"

  
"Atem," Yami corrected offhandedly. "And I don't know what to think of him." Frankly, Yami wanted to be done thinking about Atem for the rest of the night. 

  
Yuugi took another big mouthful of pasta. "Do you think he'll come back?" he asked, muffled.

  
"I really don't know, Yuugi, and don't talk with your mouth full." 

  
"Sorry," Yuugi said sheepishly. Several moments of quiet eating went by before he continued. "I hope he does. You looked like you were having a lot of fun."

  
"Did I?" came Yami's neutral reply, and Yuugi only nodded with another mouthful of food. It made Yami purse his lips thoughtfully. Disregarding the fact he had won, it was a very satisfying game. He hadn't had one like that since... well, since before grandfather passed away, and he definitely wouldn't mind more. He glanced aside to his small brother, who met his eyes and graced him with a sunny, full cheeked smile. Yami smiled back, caring and warm, before turning back to his food.

  
A good game once in a while was fine, but he didn't need anything else. He had a home, a job, and most importantly, he had Yuugi. What more could he want?

* * *

Atem lay on his couch, eyes listlessly staring at the ceiling and smothered in purring from two separate sources. One of his cats was laying on his chest like a loaf, feet tucked in and eyes closed in contentment, while the other was stretched along the armrest near his head. A wine glass with remnants of a drink meant to wind him down sat empty on the coffee table. 

  
What a day. He had just barely salvaged relations with the slighted client from that morning and despite having recovered the situation rather remarkably, his father still thought prudent to call him up and lecture him about responsibility and how important it was to keep his branch of the company well oiled. Atem exhaled curtly through his nose. Nothing was ever good enough for the man, it seemed; it wasn't when Atem was growing up and it sure as hell wasn't now. The hidden undertone of _'why can't you be more like Seth'_ was always present every time they spoke and it made Atem's stomach knot every time he saw his father's name on the caller ID.

  
Trying to think of more pleasant thoughts, he let his mind go back to earlier in the afternoon when he was at the Turtle Game Shop and he felt a small smile curve at his lips. That was such a surprising twist that he was still reeling from it, to be beaten at one of his own favorite games out of the blue like that. And what an opponent... Yami. He wanted to know more, so much more than he had gleaned from his two visits, about the scarlet-eyed young man who had bested him. Who taught him how to play like that? What other games did he play with the same cutting proficiency? Was it really just he and Yuugi there by themselves?

  
Atem turned that thought over. He had wondered that earlier and was curious, but did not think it was an appropriate question to ask. After all, he barely knew them and they barely knew him. Yami seemed like the only employee of the shop, as he had not seen or heard anyone else during the time he had been there today, and the way he spoke to Yuugi made it seem like he was the primary caretaker for the boy. If it was true, Atem could respect that. 

  
Atem closed his eyes, the smile on his face becoming more pronounced. In his mind's eye he could see Yami looking at him after the game with that killer smile that reached his eyes in a way none of his expressions up to then could. He moved his hand from his side up to the feline poised on his chest and gently stroked the fur over its ears, earning a vigorous purr at the attention. Yeah, Atem decided, he definitely wanted to know more about this enigmatic Yami of the Turtle Game Shop.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me longer than I was hoping. I wasn't happy with the end, there were things I really wanted to fit in but I wasn't satisfied no matter how I tried, so those'll have to be later. Enjoy!

It was two days later, 10 AM on Saturday, and Yami stood at the register just finishing ringing up the purchase of a man and his young daughter who had come in looking for some children's puzzles. He bagged up their three chosen puzzles and held it out to the waiting arms of the excited little girl.

  
"There you are," he smiled earnestly, making sure she had a good grip before letting go of the bag. "I hope you enjoy them."

  
"I'm sure she will," the father chuckled and placed a light hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Don't forget to thank the young man, Meiko."

  
"Thank you, sir!" the little girl, Meiko, smiled brightly up at Yami.

  
"You're most welcome. You two have a good one," Yami dipped his head and the father-daughter duo turned from the counter to exit the shop. Once they had gone, he sunk back into his chair behind the counter as he heard tentative footsteps on the staircase to his left.

  
"Um, Yami?"

  
Yami tensed only slightly at Yuugi's tone of voice. He knew that pitch well; Yuugi used it when he wanted something. 

  
"Yeah, bud?" Yami was very careful not to turn around as he heard Yuugi come to the bottom of the stairs. Instead he pointedly looked elsewhere in the shop because he knew if he turned to look at his brother, he'd be susceptible to whatever look Yuugi had.

  
"Could we go to the smoothie place for lunch?" he heard Yuugi ask, and damn, he could hear the look on his face. "We haven't been for a while.."

  
Yami hummed and tilted his head in thought, considering the request. It had been a while, almost two months, since they last went. This place in question, Soothing Smoothies, was a cafe that sold a huge variety of smoothies as well as various sandwiches and wraps, and was located close to New Town. It was a little pricey, as things usually are when they are high quality, but the place fell in line with the careful diet he had Yuugi on, and truthfully, he could go for a smoothie now that he thought about it. 

  
"I suppose we could," he capitulated, allowing a faint smile at Yuugi's whoop of glee. "Go get ready while I lock the shop up."

  
As Yuugi ran back up the steps to get his shoes on, Yami withdrew the ring of keys from his pocket and drifted across the shop to pull the retractable bars over the front windows and set the door sign to 'Out to Lunch'. Moments later, while Yami was applying a tube of chapstick to his lips, Yuugi came back down the stairs and smiled happily at his brother.

  
"All set?" Yami asked, pressing the cap back onto the chapstick with a click and slipped it back into his pocket.

  
"Yeah!"

  
"Then let's be off," Yami hauled the door open and waited for Yuugi to exit first, before following and locking the shop behind them. They then walked around to the back of the shop where the familiar door that led directly to the house part of the building was, as well as the trash and recycle bins. Also sitting there was Yami's old, beat up truck that surely must be as old as Old Town itself.

  
After helping poor short Yuugi up into the passenger seat and getting him buckled in, Yami walked around and slid into the driver's side. The truck's engine stalled and turned as Yami tried to start it, and he pursed his lips at the thought of having to possibly take it to a shop at some point, but after a couple more attempts the engine finally roared to life. Puffing out a sigh of relief, he pulled them out of the alley onto the street and in the direction of New Town.

* * *

Atem kept his breathing rhythmic and steady as he jogged briskly on the treadmill; inhale, two steps, exhale, two steps. He lifted a hand to brush from his face a few stray locks of hair that had either slipped from his ponytail or were too short to be pulled back, his swarthy skin glistening with a fine sheen of sweat from the day's workout.

  
Keeping pace in the treadmill next to him was a young woman with the same dusky complexion as he and long brunette hair tied back in a bun. Her moss green eyes looked away from the window in front of them so she could flash a smile in Atem's direction.

  
"Thanks for coming to the gym with me today, 'Tem," she said, her hand moving forward to the treadmill's controls and with a few presses of a button, the machine's speed slowed down to a walk. She adjusted her stride to match the new pace. "I know you prefer to jog outside, it was just too hot for me today!"

  
"It's fine, Mana," Atem replied, his breathing not breaking its even cadence as he continued jogging. "I had other things to do here anyway that I skipped last week."

  
"Later tonight I'm meeting a couple friends over at Peach's Pub, wanna come?" 

  
He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he lifted his hand to tap at the treadmill's controls causing the running belt to gradually slow to a walk, then stop altogether. "There is no way in hell I'm interested in being chat up by anymore of your friends," he groused, grabbing the towel that was draped over the frame and patting down his face with it. "Besides, I might have plans."

  
" _Plans_?" his sister repeated, incredulous. She tapped a few buttons on her machine to stop it entirely and turned to face him, leaning on her treadmill's frame. "What kind of _plans_? Like, actual plans? Because going home and drinking wine with your cats isn't _plans_ ," she grinned cheekily.

  
Atem shot her a half-hearted glare as he swung the towel over one shoulder and snatched up the water bottle from the cup holder in the frame. He didn't bother answering until he had downed half of it in just a few swigs and stepped off the machine. "Yes, actual plans. Also, my cats are good company."

  
Mana bounced off the treadmill and hurried to follow her brother, smirking.

  
"Of course, I mean no offense to Olivia and Toffee. I'm sure they're fantastic conversationalists especially after a few glasses of wine" she sassed teasingly.

  
They walked through the upper floor of the gym to a series of lockers against the wall before coming to a stop before one of the larger ones. Atem rolled an elastic band holding a small key from his wrist and used it to unlock the padlock on the locker door. Mana wasn't finished questioning her brother, however.

  
"So are you gonna tell me who you have plans with?" she asked as he hefted a white duffel bag from the locker and handed it to her.

  
Atem barked a sharp laugh as he took his own black duffel out and swung the locker shut.

  
"Fuck no," he answered emphatically, then immediately regretted his answer. He forgot to watch his wording. Mana's lips curled into a knowing, devious smile when her brother fell into her trap.

  
"Oh, so it _is_ with another person? Why won't you tell me?" she prodded, turning to follow her brother's quick gait as he strode back across the room where the stairs to the lower level were.

  
"Because you'll _meddle_!"

  
"I won't, I promise!" Mana argued as they descended the stairs. She had to walk fast to keep up with Atem's clipped stride as he made way towards the shower room. "I'm just so curious, you haven't... had _plans_ with anyone in almost a year! How can I not be interested?"

  
"It's really not what you think," he tensed his jaw in annoyance as he approached the men's showers. He pressed a hand to the door and paused, a scowl on his face, before sighing. He half-turned to Mana who was still intently looking at him. "Look, I'll tell you in the car on the way to Soothing Smoothies, then I don't want you to bother me about it ever again."

  
"Deal!" Mana absolutely beamed at him before whipping around and moseying down the hall to the women's showers.

  
Atem frowned at her retreating figure before thrusting the door open and entering the shower room, trying to decide what to tell and what not to tell her; he loved his sister dearly but good god did she love to meddle.

* * *

Yami and Yuugi were seated in a booth inside Soothing Smoothies, sharing one side and leaving the opposite one empty as Yuugi preferred to sit next to his brother. On the off-white table in front of them were two smoothie cups, one medium and one small, as well as what remained of their lunch. Yuugi still had a third of a chicken sandwich and chips remaining, whereas Yami was down to only his chips, having already finished his steak wrap.

  
They had been talking about Yuugi's previous day of school, which then led to Yami smirking and asking how Anzu was, which in turn made Yuugi's cheeks redden and sputter that she was ' _fine_ '. Yami chortled, he really couldn't help but tease his baby brother about his crush on his classmate.

  
"Start finishing up, Yuugi, I need to get back to the shop soon."

  
"Okay," his brother responded and took another bite of his sandwich.

  
Yami sighed contently, taking up his smoothie and sucking up a good mouthful from the straw, then closed his eyes. He wished he had time to take a nap before going back to work. 

  
"Yami, look! It's Mr. Atem!" 

  
Yami's thoughts came to a screeching halt and his eyes jerked open. He followed Yuugi's point to the door where, sure enough, he could see Atem approaching the entrance. He wasn't alone, however. When he reached the door he held it open for a curvy young woman, tanned and lovely, with long brunette hair and green eyes he could see flashing in laughter at whatever the other had said. 

  
Yami's mouth suddenly felt bone dry as Atem came into full view. _Fucking hell_. He was wearing a tight grey tank top with his cut shoulders and arms out for all to see, loose khaki shorts stopped just above the knee that showed a pair or sculpted calves, and white trainers. His hair was pulled back in that charmingly messy ponytail he had seen before with loose golden strands framing his face. His female companion was wearing a more modest but flattering shirt, bright yellow and billowy, with short white shorts and similar trainers. Yami had to mentally reassure himself that it was okay to _look_ at Atem, after all people window shopped all the time right?

  
He straightened in his seat and kept his facial expression carefully schooled as he saw Atem enter the building behind the woman and automatically scan the interior with attentive eyes. When his survey of the area landed on the booth they were sitting at, Yami could see a series of emotions flit rapidly over his face. Surprise pulled at his facial features, then his expression relaxed with a boyish grin as Yami could feel Yuugi wave next to him. But the grin faded slightly as he looked at the woman who stood near him, who was squinting thoughtfully at the menu hanging over the counter. Yami watched him lightly nudge her and say something too quiet for him to hear, but whatever he said made the woman look in their direction with eyes that suddenly twinkled with keen interest.

  
"Well hey, you two," Atem smiled at them as he and his lady friend approached their booth. "Didn't think I'd see y'all here!"

  
"Hi, Mr. Atem!"

  
"Another several minutes and you would not have," Yami told him, bumping his chin in greeting. "I am on my lunch break. If you want..." he made gesture at the empty booth seat across from he and Yuugi.

  
Atem took the invitation and slid into the booth, followed by his companion. "By the way, this is my sister, Mana. Mana, this is Yami and his little brother, Yuugi. Yami works at the place I got your game at."

  
Atem's sister's eyes hadn't left him since they arrived at the booth, but their sharp inquisitiveness was replaced by a softer curiosity. She offered a hand to him with a bright smile.

  
"Hi, nice to meet you!" she chirped, friendly, and Yami reached out to shake her hand cordially. "Hi, sweetie," she then cooed at Yuugi, who blushed and tucked against Yami's side shyly. "Aww, you're so cute!" 

  
Yami chuckled at his little brother's reaction, retracting his hand back to his side. "Excuse my brother, he gets this way around pretty girls." He only grinned at the distraught sound Yuugi made next to him.

  
Mana giggled, then turned her attentive eyes back to Yami. "So you work at that game shop down in Old Town? You know, my brother has told me _so much_ about you."

  
"Is that so?" Yami smirked and peripherally he could see Atem slowly look at his sister with a hard stare. "All good things, I hope." 

  
Mana laughed, almost nervously now, as she flapped a hand in the air. "Oh, well, yeah! I must apologize though if he was rude at any point, he doesn't know how he sounds sometimes." 

  
Atem scoffed pointedly, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Excuse me? I was a total gentleman."

  
"He's very ill-mannered, he called me a brat," Yami informed her, as if the other man hadn't said anything. 

  
"Atem! You are so rude!"

  
"Wha--! He called me a meathead!" Atem indignantly tried to defend himself against being ganged up on. His excuse made them outright laugh, even Yuugi giggled from his place at Yami's side. 

  
Yami grinned, feeling oddly playful as he leaned back and lifted his arm to rest along the back of the booth over Yuugi's head. "I distinctly remember telling you I did no such thing." 

  
"Well I distinctly remember you implying it," Atem narrowed his eyes at him, and Yami just tilted his head as if in innocence; at least it would be if it weren't for the insufferable grin on his face.

  
They didn't notice Mana closely watching their exchange with bright, observant eyes.

  
Yami's attention was drawn to the clock on the wall near the door, and the grin slid off his face as he straightened up again. "We need to go, I've been gone from the store for almost an hour. We'll take your leftovers home, Yuugi."

  
Yuugi began wrapping up the remnants of his sandwich, nodding but not verbally replying.

  
Atem shooed his sister out of the booth as Yami made to stand up. "Speaking of the shop, Yami," he began, hoisting himself onto his feet as he watched the object of his attention rise to stand and gather the trash from the table. "You still owe me a rematch. Are you maybe free later?" 

  
Yami angled a contemplative look at him as he waited for Yuugi to exit the booth.

  
"Yuugi and I have a.. thing we have to go to after work today," he disclosed. "Tonight's not really the best night.."

  
"Oh, yeah, no, it's fine," Atem hurriedly assured, feeling only a minor amount of disappointment. "Another time, then?"

  
"Yeah, another time," Yami offered the tiniest of smiles at Atem. "See ya. It was good to meet you, Mana," Yami bid them as he shepherded Yuugi towards the door.

"You too, take care!" she waggled her fingers at them in adieu.

  
Atem's eyes did not leave Yami's lean profile until the door closed behind him and his brother, then he leveled a scowl at his sister, eyes fiery.

  
"You couldn't behave yourself for one fuckin' minute, could you?" he hissed. "I told you not to meddle!"

  
"Oh come on, what I said was ambiguous at worst!" Mana dismissively flapped her hand, nonchalant in the face of her brother's ire. "Also, what the hell, 'Tem? You didn't tell me he was _hot_! Black is definitely his color."

  
"I am done talking about this, and so are you, that was our deal," Atem turned on his heel, frigid, and stalked to the front counter. He ignored his sister's dramatic whine as he gave his usual food order to the employee stationed there, but in some corner of his mind, he had to agree with her.

  
Yami did look good in black.

  
"Hey so, since you no longer have plans, you sure you don't wanna go to the pub?"

  
Atem groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then poor Atem went home and drank wine with his cats, probably, haha.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks readers for your patience. ^^

Several days had passed and now it was midday on Thursday, and Yami was stationed in his usual spot reclined in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, behind the game shop counter. A pensive expression was settled over his face as he studied the gaming magazine sprawled across his lap, taking in information about a game that was rising to popularity overseas: a strategy card game called Duel Monsters. Yami fingered the corner of the page as he read about the different types of cards and how to play them, as well as its reception to the public.

  
While there have been similar card games in circulation before, the game shop has never carried them despite its focus on traditional and tabletop games. Grandfather seemed to be able to tell that they were just passing fads, and they were, having faded out of interest in less than a year. Yami thoughtfully stared at the image displayed on the page before him of a spellcaster garbed in purple and wielding a jeweled staff and wondered what his grandfather would think of this new one.

  
 _If you see an opportunity, my boy, take it because it won't be around forever_ , grandpa Sugoroku's words echoed in his mind. Was this an opportunity? This could be a chance to stock something early that could really take off. On the other hand, he could be wasting the shop's already precarious budget on what could end up being another fad. Something about this particular one though was making him think twice about writing it off.

  
He was jolted out of his thoughts when the bell above the door jingled, announcing the entry of a potential customer. Yami lifted his scarlet eyes to the door, a greeting ready, when he paused and blinked. The sight of Atem entering the shop dressed way too nicely in a dark turquoise dress shirt, black dress pants, and glossy black shoes with his thick hair neatly combed and tied back and a crooked smile on his face caused an unfamiliar feeling curl in the center of Yami's torso that he wasn't sure he liked.

  
"Hey, Yami," Atem's smooth voice greeted him as he approached the counter. "How's it going?"

  
"Well look who it is," Yami couldn't help but half-smile as he closed the magazine on his lap. He leaned back in his chair leisurely, fingers interlocking over his stomach as he eyed the man who stopped his approach and was now leaning on one hand against the edge. "It's good. Is that your work getup?"

  
"Yes, and I can't tell you how jealous I am you get to just sit around here so casually looking like a punk," Atem answered, eyes narrowed but smirking.

  
Yami just grinned and shrugged, as if to say _oh well_. He had his preferences and they just happened to involve a lot of black. Today's number was similar to any other day; slim black jeans, a thin black shirt with a dark red unbuttoned overshirt over that. Not to mention his black wrist accessories he was fond of. He figured since he ran the place he could wear whatever he wanted. He said as much, at which Atem just snorted good-naturedly. 

  
"So," Atem began, his merlot colored eyes briefly flickering to the side as if nervously, "are you able to take some time to go out to lunch?"

  
Yami blinked, slowly. He had thought maybe Atem had come in for his owed rematch, not an _outing_.

  
"You want to have lunch with me?" Yami verified guardedly, one brow raised.

  
"Yeah."

  
_"...Why?"_

  
"Er, well," Atem fidgeted, not expecting to be put on the spot for an explanation. "I just thought, you seem interesting and maybe you'd want to... hang out? And talk?"

  
Yami pursed his lips, scrutinizing the man on the other side of the counter. Despite the optimistic grin on his face Atem's posture seemed stiff, as if he was hanging on whatever Yami's answer would be. The awkwardness Atem was displaying was mildly amusing if nothing else, and he found himself considering the idea. _'It's just lunch, what's the harm?'_

  
"Are you sure you can tolerate hanging out with a 'punk'?" Yami asked, allowing a faint smile to curl at the corners of his mouth.

  
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Atem said, smiling now and his shoulders losing some of that rigidity. "Maybe to, like, Soothing Smoothies?"

  
"I can't really go there too often, it's a bit pricey for regular visits."

  
"I am inviting you so I am more than willing to pay."

  
"I'd really rather you didn't," Yami nipped that idea in the bud, uncomfortable with the idea of charity of any kind even as small as this.

  
"Something more local then? I don't patron Old Town too much, so I'm open to suggestions," Atem hummed thoughtfully, scratching a cheek with two fingers.

  
"How do you feel about burgers? There is a place I used to go to nearby that's pretty cheap but good," Yami supplied.

  
"Sounds good to me," Atem agreed, standing straighter now with an easy smile. "Shall we?"

  
Yami answered with a quirked grin as he pushed himself to his feet.

* * *

Atem could do nothing against the very satisfied feeling smoldering in his chest as he sat in a booth across from Yami in an establishment called Burger World. He had been smothered in work all week to the point of having no free time between the office and going home late, with definitely no time to drive all the way to Old Town at a reasonable time. His sister finally marched into his office that morning, telling him that she was tired of his 'long distance pining' -- which he denied feeling -- and ordered him to go 'get his fix of that hot game shop guy'-- which he denied needing -- but when time came to take his scheduled time off for lunch he found himself wondering if Yami would be keen to the idea.

  
"Alright sweeties, what can I get you to drink?" their waitress, an older woman with short curly grey hair, asked with her pen at the ready against a small notepad and a matronly smile on her face.

  
At Yami's go-ahead gesture, Atem spoke up first, "Ah, a lemonade, please."

  
The waitress scribbled it down on her notepad before turning hazel eyes over to Yami. "And for you, hon?"

  
"Sweet tea, please, thank you."

  
Another scratching of a pen on paper. "Alright lemonade and sweet tea. Are you two ready to order as well or do you need a few minutes?" 

  
"I think we need a few," Yami answered, eyeing Atem's clueless glance at the menu.

  
"Alright sweeties, I'll be back in a bit with your drinks," the elder waitress flashed a grin before swishing away from the table.

  
Atem's eyes skimmed over the menu but his mind was buzzing distractedly. There were lots of questions he wanted to ask Yami but now that he was here physically sitting across from him, his thought process took on the likeness of an old internet dial tone. He took a chance to briefly glimpse up at the young man across the table only to see that Yami was staring right at him. Atem cleared his throat, dropping his gaze back down to the menu.

  
"I'm not really sure what's good here, what do you typically get?" 

  
"I am partial to their portobello mushroom burger, see there," Yami reached across the table and tapped a finger against the open page of Atem's menu where an image of a juicy looking burger smothered in swiss cheese and other fixings was pictured. "You can get the bun toasted, too."

  
Atem regarded the picture of what he did agree looked rather appetizing as Yami withdrew his his hand.

  
"I trust your judgement, and it does look good," Atem shot a smile across the table, folding his menu closed. As if the action summoned her from across the room, their waitress appeared at their booth with drinks in hand which she distributed in front of them.

  
"You boys all set to order?" she asked.

  
They relayed their order, the same right down to the toasted bun, and again they were left with each other's company. Atem reached out to his cold glass of lemonade and took a long drawling sip, his mind finally focusing on a topic of discussion. 

  
"You said you used to come here," he initiated, setting his glass back onto the table. "You don't anymore?" 

  
"Not really, no," Yami replied, pausing to also drink in a mouthful of sweet tea. "This place doesn't mesh well with Yuugi, and I can't exactly leave him home or bring him only to tell him he can't have anything. These days I just find it easier to stay home during the day."

  
"Yet you accepted my invitation to lunch, I'm flattered you'd break your cycle for me," Atem grinned when Yami rolled his eyes with a faint smirk on his face. "Is it a dietary reason that prevents Yuugi, or..?"

  
"You could say that," Yami nodded once, scarlet eyes dropping to his fingers where he idly traced around the edge of his tea's coaster. "He has trouble digesting excessively greasy foods, makes him a bit ill sometimes. That combined with his... problem... I like to keep his diet carefully controlled."

  
"Problem?" Atem questioned before he had a chance to think maybe it wasn't his business.

  
Yami opened his mouth, then closed it, as if trying to settle on what words to use. Atem took note of the disquieted expression on Yami's face and was about to tell him he didn't have to elaborate if he didn't want to when Yami spoke again.

  
"Yuugi has anemia, which is his body's inability to produce an adequate amount of red blood cells. What he eats can have a significant impact on his already poor iron production, so I need to manage what he takes in."

  
"Damn, I'm sorry," Atem sympathized. He thought of the cheerful kid and how such a bright, smiling face was hiding an affliction like that. "Is it like a permanent disease?"

"Normally anemia like that is a simple fix, some iron supplements or prescription medication for a year or so and your body sorts it out, but..." Yami trailed off for a moment, his face tightening as he stared out the window adjacent to them. He sighed before continuing, "Yuugi's isn't fixing itself and his specialist doesn't know why, all we can do is keep checking his blood every other month and giving him pills to take." 

  
By the time Yami was finished talking, his hand was fisted tightly on the table and it took all of Atem's self control not to reach over and grasp the tense hand.

  
"That must be rough for the little one."

  
"Yuugi's strong soul more than makes up for his weaknesses. He handles it like a champion."

  
"And you? How are you handling it?" Atem felt compelled to ask. He could see them now, things in Yami's countenance that he couldn't believe he didn't notice before. Stress, exhaustion, the weight of someone else's fragile life on his shoulders.

  
Yami didn't answer for a few long moments, dark eyes focused on the beads of perspiration on his glass of tea. "I'm fine," he finally said, "I just wish I could do more."

  
The troubled look on Yami's face as he said that made Atem throw caution to the wind without a second thought. He extended his hand across the table then, his fingers first lightly touching the back of Yami's fisted hand before more firmly settling over it. Yami, not expecting the contact, started a tiny bit in his seat.

  
"I know I haven't seen Yuugi more than just a couple of times," Atem began, the ardent tone of his voice drawing Yami's bewildered red eyes up from their joint hands to meet the other's intense wine-hued gaze, "but when I have, he's looked happy and healthy. From an outsider's perspective, you're doing a damn good job, Yami."

* * *

Yami was able to do little other than stare wide-eyed at Atem and the sincere smile being shone at him. He felt his throat gradually close up making it difficult to breathe and he swallowed to try and alleviate the pressure. The warm hand, a bit bigger than his own, squeezed his gently and the action seemed to give Yami the kickstart needed to suck in a breath. 

  
"I... thank you," Yami murmured, feeling confused. Why did he divulge all that information to someone he barely knew? And why he was affected so much by the other's words? Maybe deep down he needed the reassurance. He felt Atem give his hand another lightly squeeze before it was withdrawn. Yami pulled his hand back and into his lap out of sight, where he touched the back of it discreetly.

  
"I just call it like I see it," Atem affirmed. "Though, I apologize for..." He made a small unsure gesture with his hands. "...upsetting you."

  
"It's fine, really," Yami shook his head, lifting a hand into view to wave dismissively. He wanted to move on quickly. "So, what is it you do for a living? At this point you know far more about my personal life than I know of yours," scarlet eyes squinted intently.

  
Atem delayed a moment before answering to take in another draught of his lemonade. "Ah, well, I work in New Town, in the downtown area. In an office," he finished vaguely.

  
"I didn't have you pegged as an office worker."

  
"Really? What did you have me pegged as?" Atem leaned in curiously.

  
"I don't know, maybe like a personal trainer or something."

  
This seemed to amuse Atem, from the look of the smirk on his face. "Oh? Does your expectation have anything to do with how 'buff' I am, as your adorable brother pointed out?"

  
Yami narrowed his eyes in a tempered, half-hearted glare as he lifted his glass of tea to his lips. He had no intention of answering, and he made that apparent as he opted to take a swig of his drink instead of responding.

  
Conversation was put on halt as the waitress suddenly whisked up to their booth, tray in hand.

  
"Here you go boys, enjoy!" the woman chirped as she placed two plates onto the table in front of them, each laden with a sizable piping hot mushroom burger and a load of fries. "If y'all need anything else, just wave me over, okay hons?" At their acknowledgement, she left them to their devices.

  
The pair spent the next several minutes tucking into their food, the only commentary coming from Atem of 'dang this is pretty good', which earned a knowing nod from Yami.

  
After several minutes of quiet eating, Yami lifted his napkin to wipe at his mouth. An impish smile was left in its wake.

  
"You know, now that I think about it, office worker seems right on point for you," Yami declared coolly and he paused to sip at his tea, his dark scarlet eyes trained on Atem's face. "I mean you're what, in your thirties if I recall?"

  
He made no effort at all to conceal the grin on his face as he watched Atem pause mid bite, his merlot eyes fastening onto Yami's entertained gaze with a mild scowl.

  
"For your information, you brat, I'm twenty-five," Atem took another bite of his burger, chewed while frowning at Yami, then swallowed. His scowl however was softened by the amused glint in his eyes. "Your smart mouth is going to get you into trouble one day."

  
"Not the first time that's been said to me."

  
" _That_ doesn't surprise me at all," Atem told him, grinning now. He took another big gulp of his lemonade. "I've been meaning to ask you, how did you come into your game shop, if you don't mind me asking?"

  
"It was my grandfather's," Yami answered, then nibbled on a french fry. "When he passed away, I took it over. Been managing it for almost a year now."

  
"Your grandfather, he was a game enthusiast?"

  
At that, Yami couldn't help but chuckle, "An understatement. Before he got too old and retired, he was an archeologist and his main thing was studying the games of different old civilizations."

  
"That's pretty cool," Atem commented thoughtfully. "Was he the one who taught you how to play Shogi?"

  
"Yeah," Yami nodded then gave Atem a sly look, head tilted just slightly, "If you thought _I_ was tough competition, he would have had you beat in a third of the time. Not even I managed to win a game against him. He was a Master."

  
At that claim Atem also tilted his head, eyeing Yami seriously. 

  
"A true Master?" he asked the other, genuinely wondering if he had heard of or even met this mysterious grandfather before at any of the Shogi tournaments held in New Town. "Did he attend any tournaments?"

  
Yami nodded again with a sound of confirmation. "Yeah, but he stopped a few years ago when he started to get too tired."

  
"May I ask his name?" Atem inquired as he brought his glass of lemonade up to his lips.

  
"Sugoroku Mutou."

  
Atem seemed to forget he was swallowing a mouthful of lemonade because as soon as the words left Yami's mouth, Atem's eyes grew wide and he had to stifle a coughing fit. Yami raised a brow at the reaction.

  
"I'm sorry," Atem rasped, bringing up a napkin to wipe at this mouth. "You mean to tell me your grandfather was the _King of Games_?!"

  
"That wasn't who I thought of him as, but yes. Did you know him?"

  
"Know him?" Atem parroted, after taking a bite of his diminishing burger. "I mean, not really, but I knew _of_ him. I used to go to tournies too, but not at the level of the King of Games. He wasn't just a Master, he was _the_ Master." Atem's cheeks flushed, remembering. And he walked into the King's game store and challenged his protégé like a fool. Yami's words to him when he issued the challenge made more sense to him now. "You haven't gone to any tournaments, I would have recognized you," he almost accused.

  
"I don't really have the time to," Yami defended after swallowing his own mouthful of food. "Between managing the shop, taking care of Yuugi and spending time with him, taking hours out of a day to attend a tournament that's clear on the other side of the city isn't something I can afford. Grandfather could do it because I told him I was more than capable of taking care of Yuugi during those times, but I don't have that luxury." Yami's words didn't sound bitter or unhappy with the situation, just firm in how seriously he took his responsibilities.

  
"I suppose you're right," Atem yielded to the point, but it didn't sit well with him. The thought of Yami's talent languishing away without being properly tested made him feel discontent, but he could understand.

  
"Make no mistake though," Yami said, his chin lifting slightly in self-assuredness. "I may not have my grandfather's title, but I'll play any challenger into the ground should they come to me. Speaking of which, do you want your rematch this afternoon? Or have I thoroughly scared you off?" He smirked.

  
Yami's brazen confidence stoked the competitive fires in Atem's chest, and it felt far more intense now than what had blazed when he first stood at the counter in Yami's store issuing his challenge to the smug punk sitting there sassing him.

  
"You're on, you bratty Prince of Games."

  
The rest of lunch was very amiable as they continued to chat in between intakes of food, during which they shared more details about themselves.

  
Yami learned that Atem only had one sibling, his sister Mana, but had four cousins that he was raised alongside with who may as well have been siblings. He also found out that Atem was originally from Egypt, specifically smack dab in the capital of Cairo. That information branched off on a tangent from Yami on Egypt being Sugoroku Mutou's last excursion before his retirement, and what he was up to during that time.

  
Alternatively, Atem learned that Yami and Yuugi lived alone in an apartment above the game shop, but Yami was tight lipped with information about their parents, which Atem let alone. He learned that Yuugi was exceptionally smart for his age resulting in him being moved forward a year in school, though Yami had expressed misgivings about it being difficult for Yuugi to make friends with the older kids. Yami spoke much more of his brother than of himself, but Atem didn't mind, distracted as he was by the proud, bright gleam in the other's eyes as he spoke about Yuugi that made him think of polished rubies.

  
Time had gotten away from them, both so absorbed in each other's company that even though the bill was split and paid, they lingered as they finished their drinks to talk more. It wasn't until Atem's phone buzzed with a text message and he fished it out to glance at it did he sober up in a mild panic.

  
**(From: Sis)**   
_where are you?? you have like 4 calls on hold!_

  
"Shit, we gotta go," Atem announced as he fired off a quick ' _omw_ ' in response.

  
"Crap, what time is it?" Yami asked, yanking his phone flip phone out of his pocket to check the time. Damn, they'd been here for over an hour! First the cafe, now this, he needed to manage his time better.

  
"Way past time I'm supposed to be back at work," Atem answered as they slid out of the booth. He shot a grin over at the other. "Time flies when you're having fun, as they say."

  
"I suppose it does," Yami smiled back at him as they made way to the door.

* * *

Atem swung his car into one of the parking spaces next to the game shop and put it in park, then turned his body to face Yami in the passenger seat while the younger man undid his seatbelt.

  
"Hey so," Atem spoke up, causing Yami to halt his motion of opening the car door and look over at him, "would you want to swap phone numbers? Maybe we can do this again sometime." 

  
Yami saw the same traces of apprehension on Atem's face that was present when he initially asked him out to lunch. And like then, it made a hint of a smile materialize on Yami's face. _'It's really no big deal, it should be fine. Right?'  
_

  
"Sure," the younger answered and dug his phone out of his pocket. Atem did the same and they exchanged numbers, and once they were done Yami finally pushed the car door open. "See you this afternoon, try not to sweat too much with impending doom," he offhandedly commented over his shoulder as he hefted himself out of the car.

  
Atem snorted, amused. "We'll see about that, bratty prince."

  
Yami just smirked at him as he closed the door and turned, walking around the front of the game shop and out of sight. 

  
Before Atem pulled out of the parking lot, he picked up a small black bluetooth headset from the center console and secured it to his ear. Then tapped on his phone to enable to sync as well as press a contact name. As it was ringing, he backed out of the parking space and onto the street, then started onto the streets he was getting the hang of by now.

  
After three rings, the other line picked up.

  
 _"Atem! Where are you?"_ came his sister's voice. _"Are you almost here?"_

  
"I'm leaving Old Town now so it'll take me a bit to get back to the office with traffic the way it is. Are any of the calls an emergency?" he asked as he merged into a new lane. He didn't want to have to take a work call in his car but if there was something that demanded immediate attention, he would.

  
 _"Old Town?"_ Mana latched onto those words, sounding far too interested. _"How did your lunch date with Yami go?"_

  
"It wasn't a date," Atem grunted as he sped up a little to catch a light as it turned yellow. "It was just lunch. Answer my question please."

  
_"No, no emergencies. Two of them said to just call them back when you returned to the office, the other two are still waiting, but it's nothing serious. Now back to the important topic, you must have enjoyed yourself if it made you run this late!"_

  
Atem sighed through his nose slowly as his car approached the crawling traffic that was trying to exit off into New Town. As he slowed his car down to an inching speed, an unbidden smile grew across his face as the image of Yami's relaxed disposition and faint smile as they spoke coalesced in his mind's eye.

  
"Yeah. Yeah I did."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the slowness. A few days ago I revisited the last five chapters and edited here and there, as well as either adding extra dialogue and scenes, or changing them completely. Nothing fundamental has been altered however and it's not necessary to go back to the previous chapters. To avoid any future changes apart from minor spelling edits and the like, I will probably be sitting on finished chapters a little before posting them in case I want to make alterations beforehand.
> 
> Thanks again readers for your patience with this fanfiction newbie. ^^

Once it got a little later in the day, the pair exchanged a couple texts to settle on the best time for Atem to show up. In the end the only things they had to consider were when Yuugi got home, because Yami knew he'd want to be there, and when Yami would have to retire he and his brother upstairs. So when half past three rolled around, which was when Yami said Yuugi typically got home, Atem pushed the shop door open and stepped inside.

  
The jingling of the door alerted Yami, who was in the process of shelving a small stack of boxed puzzles. He shot a brief look over his shoulder at Atem before turning back to the task at hand.

  
"Hey. I'm nearly done but Yuugi isn't home yet. Shouldn't be too much longer."

  
"Sure," Atem responded, but didn't move from his spot as he watched Yami reach back up to the shelf over his head to unload another box. The red button-up he was wearing earlier that day had been shed, leaving him in just the black shirt he had underneath. It was thin and snugly wrapped around Yami's torso, and Atem thought he could see the lean contours of the other's back shifting as he moved if he looked hard enough. His merlot gaze was just beginning to trail downwards when he realized Yami had said something.

  
"Huh?" Atem physically jolted back to attention. "Sorry, what did you say?"

  
"I asked if you got into any trouble at work for being late."

  
"Oh, ah, no," clearing his throat, Atem moved further into the shop, averting his attention to the various racks he passed on his way to the back counter. "The, uh, boss is fairly lenient with that kind of thing as long as work gets done." He felt that mentioning he _is_ the boss wasn't very important at the moment so he left it at that.

  
"Well, that's good."

  
Atem made a noise of agreement as he stopped at the counter, his eyes landing on a gaming magazine resting on the surface. It was spread open revealing an article about a card game he was familiar with only via second hand information. 

  
"Duel Monsters, huh?" he asked, spinning the magazine around so he wasn't looking at it upside down. "Think you might sell some of this stuff?"

  
"I haven't decided yet," Yami answered, putting the last puzzle on the shelf. He turned and walked over to join Atem at the counter, standing next to him and also looking down at the page. "Are you familiar with it at all?"

  
"Not first-hand but I have a cousin who is head over heels for this game. Doesn't shut up about it, really."

  
Yami folded his arms and hummed thoughtfully. He still couldn't decide one way or another about this whole Duel Monsters thing. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Atem, who had picked the magazine up and appeared to be skimming the text in appraisal.

  
"The last couple card games to float around didn't really last past the hype stages," Yami said, turning around to lean his lower back into the counter edge. "If I invested in this and it ends up flopping, it could have a negative impact on the shop. I'd have disregarded it already but... something's nagging me about it," he sighed. "Grandfather could always tell when something would catch or not, wish I had his gut."

  
"Who says you don't?" Atem asked, casting the magazine back onto the counter and turning to face Yami. "That nagging feeling could be your gut telling you not to let it go. I'm serious," he asserted at the other's unconvinced sound. "The game's still new and sure, it could flop in the end," he shrugged, "but that's the nature of business, taking risks and hoping for the payoff. And if your gut is telling you that this could be an opportunity, you shouldn't ignore it. Opportunities don't last forever."

  
Yami didn't outwardly react but he mentally reeled at the words that were all but word for word with his grandfather's advice. It had to be some kind of a sign, surely. His eyes squinted as he raised a hand to tap the pad of his thumb against his bottom lip, thinking.

  
"Maybe you're right," he mused.

  
Atem felt once again in dire straits as he couldn't take his eyes off Yami's contemplative profile. He would be absolutely lying if he said he didn't find Yami to be a very attractive individual. Beautiful, really, in an obscurely masculine sort of way. That combined with his sharp eyes and even sharper wit mixed together into a heady flavor that appealed to Atem greatly.

  
He thought for a split second that he had been caught staring when Yami suddenly went rigid, but the scarlet eyes centralized on the door with a piercing focus. Atem turned to see what had affected Yami and what he saw made his body mimic the other's stiffness.

  
The bell above the door jingled as it was roughly thrust open, allowing entrance for a harried looking Yuugi. He was red-faced and breathing heavy, as if he had ran all the way home, and there were obvious tear tracks down his face.

  
"Yuugi, what's wrong?" Yami made to approach his brother, the textbook picture of panicked worry. The motion however seemed to trigger Yuugi who flung his backpack onto the floor and bolted to the stairs leading up to the apartment, dodging around Yami's reach.

  
"Yuugi!" Yami called again as his little brother disappeared up the steps, followed by the slamming of a door. It took every fiber in his being not to immediately race after him.

  
He turned and looked at Atem with frantic eyes as he fumbled in his pocket for his ring of keys. 

  
"I-I need to.." Yami began but was quickly cut off.

  
"I know, go take care of your brother," Atem nodded, already backstepping to the front of the shop. "I'll leave so you can lock the door. I hope everything's alright," he said, casting a concerned glance to the stairwell.

  
"Me, too," Yami clenched his jaw as he thumbed through the keys for the right one.

* * *

  
"Yuugi?" Yami tentatively called, voice soft as he cautiously pressed open the door to his brother's room. He received no answer, but he didn't expect one. He could hear Yuugi's quiet sniffles coming from the floor on the other side of the bed and the sounds made a knot lodge in his chest.

  
He stepped further into the room and around the bed to see Yuugi's small frame sitting on the floor, his back against the bed and face tucked into his drawn up knees. Yami knelt down next to him and reached out to lightly touch his shoulder.

  
"What happened?"

  
Yuugi didn't respond again, which wasn't unusual. Yami knew he tended to shut down when terribly upset.

  
"Did something happen at school?"

  
A wet sniffle was his answer. Yami pressed on, keeping his voice low and calm.

  
"Did someone pick on you again?"

  
Yuugi sniffed again and seemed to curl more in on himself. That was as much of a yes he was going to get.

  
"Come here, it's okay," Yami soothed, reaching out to gather Yuugi's small form in his arms. When he solidified his embrace however, Yuugi grunted out a quiet noise of pain, making Yami freeze. The younger sibling tried to pull away but Yami firmly held onto him with one hand while the other carefully lifted his shirt.

  
It took a concetrated effort to keep the sudden anger he felt from showing on his face. A scattered patchwork of bruises was littered over Yuugi's stomach and ribs of varying tones of purple and green. Each amorphous discoloration was ugly and had to have been put there deliberately by one or more individuals. Yami had to close his eyes and take a deep calming breath before he could speak again.

  
"Yuugi," he said, voice grave, "do you remember what we talked about, at the doctor? About the different kinds of feelings your condition can cause?" He waited for Yuugi's stiff nod before continuing, "Do you feel any of those now? Please be truthful, it's very important that I know."

  
He watched Yuugi chew his bottom lip, the miserable expression still on his face but it seemed he at least was taking a serious stock of how he felt past the immediate throbbing of his bruises. After a moment Yuugi looked at him and slowly shook his head in answer. Yami felt a tiny sliver of relief, but not enough to lessen the anger boiling in him. Still, he kept his voice controlled so's not to stress Yuugi out further.

  
"Come on," he urged his little brother gently to his feet, "let's go to the bathroom and I can put some of the ointment we have on them." Yuugi just nodded as he sniffled and wiped his wet face with his sleeve, and let himself be led out of his room.

* * *

  
It wasn't until Yami had made sure Yuugi was taken care of, calmed down and comfortable enough to be left alone did he retreat back down to the shop. He normally left the door separating the two floors open while Yuugi was home but this time he closed it behind him. He didn't want Yuugi to hear the phone call he was about to make, because he was sure he wouldn't be able to control his mouth.

  
Yami whipped his phone out of his pocket as he approached the front door to retrieve Yuugi's discarded backpack and let it dangle by its straps in the crook of his elbow while he thumbed through his contacts. He was scowling the entire time as he held the phone up to his ear and drew the ring of keys from his pocket to start locking up properly. 

  
The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

  
_"Domino Middle School administration office."_

  
"This is Yami Mutou, legal guardian of Yuugi Mutou. I need to speak with Principal Watanabe if he is still in."

  
_"One moment."_

  
While he was put on hold, Yami seethed as he drifted around the shop, locking the glass displays and returning a few wayward items back to their original places. This isn't the first time he's had to make a call like this. Yuugi was, unfortunately, a prime target for bullying with his short stature among his older peers and his shy and quiet nature. It's not even the first time Yuugi has come home looking like he'd been knocked around a bit, but this was the worst Yami has ever seen it. It infuriated him that this was allowed to happen still.

  
_"Principal Watanabe speaking. What can I do for you, Mr. Mutou?"_

  
"I'd really like to know why my little brother came home from school today covered in bruises, _again_. I told the office he was being bullied several times but nothing seems to ever be done about it!"

  
_"There is not much we can do. Your brother doesn't report these incidents and nor are there ever any witnesses to the events."_

  
"Do you think maybe he doesn't report them anymore because it doesn't matter if he does or not? They've always been ignored!" Yami snapped, hating the condescending tone the principal always spoke to him with.

  
 _"Look Mr. Mutou, we take the safety of our students very seriously--"_ Yami made no effort to muffle his scoff. _"--but unless it's reported by the victim or witnesses, there's nothing we can do. Are you even sure your brother is being truthful to you about what happened?"_

  
"What exactly do you mean by that?"

  
_"What I mean is, are you sure your brother's injuries are the result of bullying? Children, especially those of your brother's disposition and unstable home environment, have a tendency to act out if they feel like they aren't getting enough attention--"_

  
" _Excuse me_?" Yami's voice was an incensed, venomous snarl. He was gripping the phone so hard his knuckles ached. "Are you honestly trying to imply that my eleven year old brother is hitting himself so hard to cause bruises for _attention_?" Yami slammed the retractable bars across the front windows with enough force to make the glass panels shake.

  
_"I'm not insinuating anything, Mr. Mutou, all I'm saying is you should consider every avenue of explanation before jumping to conclusions. Maybe sit your brother down to talk to him and try to find out why he's doing these things--"_

  
"He is _not_ hurting himself!" Yami yelled, momentarily forgetting to keep his voice down.

  
_"I need to ask you to calm down--"_

  
"This is victim blaming to a disgusting degree, I will _not_ calm down!"

  
_"Then I need to terminate this call, Mr. Mutou. I strongly advise that you take my suggestion and--"_

  
Yami didn't wait for the remainder of that sentence, yanking the phone from his ear and mashing the end call button. It took substantial willpower not to throw it against the far wall. How dare that slimy piece of shit imply that his own baby brother, who was too gentle to even shoo a fly-- _"he's just doing his thing,"_ he would say--was self-harming for attention! It was ludicrous. And 'unstable home environment'? Yami was beyond insulted.

  
He lingered in the shop even after finishing his closing routine, just trying to get his temper under control before going back upstairs.

* * *

  
Atem sighed heavily from his couch while unsurely fidgeting with his phone, the screen lingering on his contact list which had been scrolled down enough to reveal Yami's name. He had been trying to convince himself to reach out and make sure everything was okay, but his insecurities about it kept plaguing him. 

  
Was it within his place to ask? Was it any of his business to begin with? Was it too late in the evening to fire off a quick text? Would Yami even _want_ to tell him anything? These thoughts and more were a self-deprecating maelstrom in his head that made him hesitate. Not for the first time he wished he could handle his personal life with the same amount of confident surety he felt running his part of the family company.

  
He jumped, startled, when the phone in his hands buzzed to life with an incoming text message. A glance at the screen made him feel a rush of pleasant surprise as he read who the text was from.

  
**(From: Yami)**   
_You up?_

  
An impulsive smile bloomed on Atem's face and he hastily responded, all apprehension fleeing him.

  
**(To: Yami)**   
_yeah what's up?_

  
**(From: Yami)**   
_Have a few minutes to talk?_

  
**(To: Yami)**   
_yes_

  
Atem was prepared for a text conversation but when his ringtone for a call went off instead of buzzed for a text, it surprised him. Still, he answered it.

  
"H-hey!" he greeted, then immediately cringed. He'd only said one word and already he was tripping over himself.

  
_"Hey. Sorry, I guess I should have asked if a phone call was alright."_

  
"It's fine," Atem smiled as he cozied into the couch. "So what's up?"

  
 _"Yuugi would like to know if you'd want to join us for game night tomorrow."_ There was a brief pause where Atem could barely hear Yuugi say something distant and indiscernible in the background. _"He says hello by the way."_

  
Atem chortled, "Tell him I said hello back, and I would love to come."

  
 _"Atem says hello,"_ Yami relayed, his voice sounding like he was holding the phone away from his face as he talked to his brother. _"Yes I asked him, he said he'll come."_ Yuugi must have said something then because Yami chuckled a bit. The next he spoke, he sounded more clear like he brought the phone close again. _"We'll get started at 6:30. The shop will be closed so go around and knock on the back door."_

  
"I'll be there," he pledged, aware of but not caring about the dumb grin on his face.

  
 _"Good."_ Yami sounded like he might be smiling but Atem attributed it to his wishful thinking. _"See you tomorrow night."_

  
"Yeah. Oh, um, Yami," Atem straightened his expression out as he remembered. "I had been wondering about earlier today, if everything was alright."

  
There were several moments of silence that filled Atem with anxiety. Had he crossed a line? He was trying to come up with the words to convey that Yami didn't have to tell him anything if he wasn't comfortable when the other spoke, though not initially to him.

  
_"Yuugi, I'm stepping downstairs for a moment. I'll be back."_

  
There was the faint sound of a door opening and closing, and after another few moments of muffled shuffling sounds, there was a heavy sigh.

  
"I'm sorry, if it's something personal that's hard to talk about--"

  
 _"No, it's... it's fine. I just..."_ Another sigh, this one sounding aggravated. _"I didn't want Yuugi to hear, and I feel like I need to talk to_ someone _about it who will take me seriously for once."_

  
"I'm all ears, whatever you need to say."

  
After a few seconds of quiet, Yami began, _"Yuugi gets bullied at school fairly regularly. He tells me it's usually just mean words, but... occasionally he'll come home with marks on him."_

  
Atem's jaw clenched, but he said nothing as Yami continued.

  
 _"Today was the worst I've ever seen it, it looks like he was really laid into. I tried calling the office but the principal not only said there's nothing they can do about it for some bullshit reasons, that prick actually had the nerve to tell me that Yuugi probably does it to himself. For attention! Can you fucking believe that? And he had to gall to imply it was because of an 'unstable home environment'. I've done_ everything _a parent would do for their child, and more! I've never been more outraged in my life."_ He sounded like it too, his voice growing more sharp and livid and rather gratuitous with swear words as he spoke. 

  
_"This isn't the first time they've written this off either, I've called many times trying to get something done about this shit but I don't know if it's because I'm nineteen and they feel superior to me or if they just don't care, but they never try to stop it. It's made even worse because not only is Yuugi more susceptible to injury, he can't fight back even if he wanted to with how small he is compared to his peers."_

  
Throughout the time Yami talked, Atem started to get more and more livid. His business channelled a great deal amount of funding into the local schools, and to hear this kind of shit was running so rampant? And being handled this poorly by the administration? He was so mad he could spit fire.

 _"I'm just..."_ Yami heaved another sigh into the phone, his voice becoming more muted. _"..sometimes I wonder if it was a mistake, having Yuugi moved forward a year. I was so proud of him that I didn't stop and think that the middle school crowd would probably be a lot less forgiving of his ways than the elementary kids. Sure he was still picked on but that's all it was. It was safer... Sorry, I didn't mean to unload all of that on you. I'm sure it was more than you bargained for."_

  
"No," Atem said emphatically as he struggled to put his fury on the backburner after taking in Yami's despondent tone. He breathed deeply, lifting his free hand to rub the bridge of his nose between two fingers with his eyes closed. "No, thank you for telling me. That's such a shitty situation, I can't imagine what it must feel like having to deal with it. It's not your fault either, you shouldn't have to hold Yuugi back just to make sure he's safe at school. His safety should already be guaranteed. I'm sorry he has to go through that... is he okay right now?"

  
_"He still hurts but it's gone down in the last few hours. As I said before, he may not be strong physically but he is where it counts. He'll be alright."_

  
Atem nodded, even though he knew Yami couldn't see the action.

  
_"One second--yeah Yuugi? ...Alright, I'll be up in a moment ...Nothing, don't worry about it. Go on and wait for me ...Sorry about that. I need to go."_

  
"It's fine. Listen, Yami," Atem shifted uncomfortably, unsure how what he wanted to say would be received. He decided to just throw it out there. "If there's anytime you need to talk to someone, about anything... I'm always willing to listen and I'll always take you seriously. Doesn't matter what it is."

  
He found himself fidgeting with nervous energy as a stretch of silence went on for a few seconds that felt like an eternity. Finally, Yami answered.

  
_"...Thank you, Atem. I appreciate that greatly."_

  
Atem was so glad this was a phone conversation because he felt his face flush with pleasant heat. 

  
"You're welcome. See you two tomorrow?"

  
_"Mm. Remember, 6:30. Have a good night."_

  
"You too. Goodnight."

  
The phone call ended there, leaving Atem experiencing a whirlwind of mixed feelings. There was the usual happiness that came with just talking to Yami in general, but in the background there was still that simmering anger caused by the topic. He decided that this business with Yuugi was his business now and it was going to be dealt with appropriately.

* * *

  
_"Domino Middle School administration office."_

  
_"This is Atem Hassan calling to speak to Principal Watanabe. Has he arrived yet this morning?"_

  
_"Yes, Mr. Hassan. One moment, please."_

_..._

_"Mr. Hassan! What an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?"_

  
_"I was going through the paperwork associated with the school's funding when I thought to check in on the status of things. See if everything is still going smoothly."_

  
_"Oh, yes! Everything is going just fine, no issues on our end."_

  
_"Really? None at all?"_

  
_"Er... no?"_

  
_"Because I've been made aware of a very glaring issue, Watanabe. One that bothers me on a deep level."_

  
_"O-oh? I'm sorry, Mr. Hassan, I don't know what you could mean--"_

  
_"No? Then allow me to elucidate for you. I take my investments very seriously, and as such, I have sources that keep a very close eye on them for me. These trusted sources have come to me attesting that violence between students has been allowed to occur under you and your administration's watch--"_

  
_"They're lying--"_

  
_"Do not interrupt me, Watanabe. You have allowed these reprehensible acts to take place with little to no action on your part and I find that beyond unacceptable. And you would try to discredit my sources to my face? You would find that I trust their word far more than I trust yours. What trouble do you expect would arise for me, should it come out that I am pouring money into a facility that is allowing physical and psychological damage to the children there? ...Answer me, Watanabe."_

  
_"I-I.. very much trouble, I would guess--"_

  
_"Yes. So am I correct in assuming that I will not be hearing about this any further?"_

  
_"Y-yes, Mr. Hassan. We will try to--"_

  
_"No. You will not try, you will do. A moment of candor with you, Watanabe. If I hear one more thing come up that rubs me the wrong way, if I so much as think that you are disregarding the welfare of your students or the concerns of the parents or guardians of those students, I will pull funding not just from the middle school but from all local educational facilities that fall under my sponsorship. When the board comes to me asking questions, I will tell them exactly why, and when they try to repair bridges with me the only way I will allow it is if it includes your immediate termination. Have I made myself clear?"_

  
_"Yes, sir. Crystal clear."_

  
_"Good. Have a pleasant day, Principal Watanabe."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if anyone is confused about Yuugi's school situation, he is 11 years old and was supposed to be in his last year of elementary, but having been moved forward a year, it places him in his first year of middle school, where most of his peers are 13. Hope that clears up any confusion anyone has. ^^


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again readers for your patience! I had a lot of extra fun writing some of the scenes in this chapter.

Yuugi exited the school gym feeling confused yet cautiously optimistic. When it became time for first period to begin, his class was shuffled out to report to the gymnasium along with the rest of the students to attend a mandatory assembly where the principal announced a new Zero Tolerance policy against bullying, effective immediately. He certainly wasn't complaining and he hoped it would make the nastier of his classmates leave him alone.

  
He sighed as he trudged with the rest of his peers back to what remained of his first class, remembering yesterday. He didn't make out the words that were used but he heard Yami yelling at the principal over the phone last afternoon. It made him feel so guilty sometimes; guilty that once again his brother had to step in and deal with his problems. He wished he wasn't such a burden, wasn't such a weakling that needed others to protect him all the time. Like Yami, who always seemed so strong and unshakeable, and like Anzu, who could make even the toughest of boys quake under her fierce glare.

  
He pouted a little as he remembered Anzu wouldn't be there again today, who was gone to attend some family function and wouldn't be back until next week. He enjoyed school, at least the learning aspect of it, but when his only friend wasn't there it just felt so lonely and like it was gonna drag on forever. Today even moreso because not only was it game night, the highlight of Yuugi's week, Atem was coming over to play!

  
Yuugi couldn't help but smile as he filed into class, thinking of what he had to look forward to. He liked Atem a lot, he was funny and so cool! Yami must think so too because Yuugi had never seen his brother engage so much with another person before. He was so happy that Yami finally had someone other than his dinky kid brother to talk to.

  
He slid into his seat near the back of the class and waited for the teacher to begin, when he peripherally noticed someone settle into the desk next to his, a desk that had been empty up until now. As discreet as he could, he peeked over curiously.

  
A boy he had never seen before occupied the previously vacant desk to his left; a new student, Yuugi guessed. He had black hair with gold highlights that was spiked back at the sides and spiked bangs that fell over dark blue eyes. Yuugi apparently wasn't discreet enough because those eyes suddenly flicked in his direction to meet his inquisitive look with an aloof glare.

  
Yuugi quickly averted his eyes down to his desk in embarrassment. _Way to make a first impression, idiot!_ Before he could do or think more, the teacher called for attention at the front of the class.

  
"Alright, class! We only have twenty minutes left so we will be using the rest of this time to study the topic we will pick back up on Monday on identifying the levels of an ecosystem. Before we do that however, please welcome a new student joining us, Yuusei Fudo," the teacher smiled and made a gesture at the new boy seated next to Yuugi, who said nothing but looked extra standoffish when attention was turned on him. "Is there anything you would like to share with us about yourself, Mr. Fudo?"

  
"No," the boy, Yuusei, grumbled with his arms folded and not even looking at the teacher.

  
The teacher blinked, a bit put off by the stony tone, but continued, "Well alright then. Now, everyone, you may study your workbooks solo or in a groups up to three. And I do mean _studying_!"

  
Most of the students opted to pair off or group up with their friends, however with Anzu absent, Yuugi expected he would be working solo again. No one approached the new kid either, his cold almost hostile demeanor giving anyone second thoughts about approaching him. Yuugi chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. It must be hard, moving to a new school, not knowing anyone, not having friends... he could personally relate to the latter. He glanced again, very briefly this time, at the new student who was glaring down at his open workbook. Yuugi made a decision then. _If Yami can make a new friend, then so can I!_

  
Bolstered by a small swell of confidence, Yuugi turned in his seat towards Yuusei and gave a friendly smile.

  
"Hi, my name is Yuugi," he shyly greeted.

  
Yuusei peered up from under his bangs at Yuugi, unresponsive and eyes narrowed. Yuugi however forged onwards through his doubt.

  
"Would you like to study together?" he asked. "I know this stuff pretty well, so if you need help I can--"

  
"I don't need help," Yuusei bit sharply, turning his glare back to the workbook pages.

  
Yuugi tried not to look or sound crestfallen, but he was never any good at concealing his emotions.

  
"Oh... okay," he turned back forward in his seat, chewing his bottom lip again and averting his eyes. _I wouldn't want to talk to me, either._

  
A tense silence settled over their tiny section of the classroom for several minutes while their peers chatted amongst their groups happily. Yuugi, still feeling a little dismal, was engrossed in rereading the material presented in the workbook when he heard a quiet ' _um_ ' to his left. He looked up and blinked to see Yuusei partially turned towards him looking awkward and uncomfortable.

  
"Could you... explain this to me?" Yuusei sheepishly nudged the workbook on his desk.

  
Yuugi blinked again, then smiled brilliantly.

  
"Sure," he said and scooted his desk closer.

* * *

  
By the time lunch had rolled around, Yuugi was pleased to see Yuusei in each of his other morning classes, although unfortuantely not seated near him at all. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but he thought maybe they could be friends after all. When he was assisting Yuusei with the biology worksheets the other hadn't been quite as aloof and even politely thanked him for his help. Yuugi didn't want to annoy him however and only gave him a friendly smile when he saw him in the other classes.

  
It was lunch time now and after he had eaten alone he took his bag and went to his favorite spot around the corner of the gymnasium, away from the bustle of the other kids. There was a shady spot here beneath a large tree that grew alongside the building that he and Anzu would retreat to and play cards. He settled down in the shaded patch cross-legged, his back against the wall, and withdrew his deck of cards from his bag.

  
He was only a few minutes into a game of Pyramids when the sound of shoes thumping against the ground drew his attention. He looked up and stiffened, drawing more defensively against the wall behind him. Approaching him were Isamu and Kenta, two of his biggest tormentors. And from the smirks on their faces, Yuugi could guess they weren't coming to be friendly. He began gathering up his cards in preparation.

  
"Hey, you little nerd," Kenta grinned meanly as he and Isamu stopped in front of Yuugi, looming over him. "Where's your girlfriend at?" 

  
"Anzu's not my girlfriend," Yuugi mumbled, not looking up as he packed his playing cards away back in their box. "She's just my friend. What do you two want?"

  
"Oh you know, it's not a real day unless we pick on our favorite punching bag. Right, Isamu?"

  
"Yeah," Isamu laughed. "And you don't have your little girlfriend to hide behind again."

  
"Y-you could get expelled if you bother me, you heard what was said at the assembly this morning," Yuugi stammered, trying to sound confident like he knew his brother would be, but he couldn't muster it into his words. He went to reach for his bag but it was quickly snatched out of reach by Kenta.

  
"Hey! Give me my bag back! Please," Yuugi cried out, clambering onto his feet and trying to reach for it but it was held out of reach. He fisted his hands uselessly as the two bullies tossed his bag back and forth, laughing. He could feel tears of frustration starting to prick at his eyes. He wished he wasn't so runty and pathetic--

  
"He said give his bag back, so give it back right now."

  
The new voice drew all three sets of eyes, and the two bullies stopped tossing the bag around to turn towards the new arrival. Yuugi's eyes widened to see Yuusei standing near the corner of the building, glaring at his two tormentors. _Oh no,_ he thought in panic. _I'm going to get my new maybe-friend beat up!_

  
"Huh? What did you just say, punk?" Isamu sneered, folding his arms.

  
"This isn't any of your business, new kid, scram!" jeered Kenta as he warningly raised a fist.

  
Yuusei didn't look the slightest big threatened, instead he just glared even harsher with eyes as blue and cold as the ocean.

  
"Give him back his bag, I'm not gonna tell you a third time."

  
Isamu smirked, "And who's gonna make us? You?"

  
Yuusei went as stiff as stone, and he took a very deliberate step forward.

* * *

  
"--and they just dropped my bag and _ran_! It was so funny watching them trip over themselves!"

  
"Really?" Yami smiled as he listened to Yuugi regale him about his day, his elbow leaned against the shop countertop and his chin resting in his palm. He just contentedly basked in Yuugi's happiness and his own relief that maybe his call to the school office the previous day wasn't for nothing.

  
"Yeah!" Yuugi smiled beamingly as he remembered, forgetting he was supposed to be working on the homework left sprawled out on the counter. "And he likes playing games too! He played cards with me until lunch ended."

  
"That's great, Yuugi. I'm really proud of you."

  
"Huh?" Yuugi looked at him quizzically. "But I didn't do anything."

  
"Mm, incorrect," Yami grinned at him. "You went out of your comfort zone and talked to a new person, and you made a new friend out of it. I am proud of you for that."

  
Yuugi blushed and looked down, fidgeting with his pencil with a small half-smile.

  
"Well... I had thought that... since you made a new friend, maybe I could too," the smaller Mutou murmured self-consciously.

  
Yami blinked at his little brother, a bit taken aback by the comment, then smiled warmly at him. He didn't say anything, just reached over and ruffled Yuugi's thick hair fondly. In his mind he had not really put a name to his relationship with Atem but yes, he'd admit that he could consider the other a friend. Especially after last night. He sounded so genuine...

  
"Do you think Mr. Atem will remember to come over for game night?" Yuugi suddenly asked, drawing Yami out of his thoughts.

  
"I'm sure he will," Yami assured him, then smirked. "But if he forgets, I'll call him up and let you give him a hard time, okay?"

  
"Okay!" his brother laughed.

* * *

  
Yami was just putting the last of the cleaned cookware into the drying rack when there was knocking at the back door. He cast a glance at the clock on the stove while drying his hands with a kitchen towel and a half-smile formed on his face.

  
"You want to get that, Yuugi?" he called to his brother, who was foraging in their box of assorted games in the living room.

  
He heard the rummaging cease as Yuugi abandoned the box to go answer the door. Yami's smile became a little more full as his brother's excited voice rang out.

  
"Hi, Mr. Atem!"

  
"Hey, kiddo!"

  
"Leave your shoes here by the door, Yami doesn't like them on the carpet or he'll get mad."

  
"Oh, well we wouldn't want that, would we?"

  
"Nuh-uh!"

  
Yami rolled his eyes as he turned and exited the kitchen in time to see Yuugi cresting the stairs followed by Atem, who flashed a smile at him.

  
"Hey, there."

  
"Hey, yourself," Yami responded, leaning against the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room and folding his arms. "And I won't get _mad_ , it just means I won't be the one vacuuming. Don't listen to Yuugi's slander."

  
"It's not... whatever that word is," Yuugi pouted as he went back to the box of games and knelt down again to fish around in it. "My brother is a taskmaster!"

  
"Why do I get the feeling that means you do your fair share of vacuuming around here?" Atem huffed jovially at Yuugi, who made a ' _hmph_ ' sound. He grinned down at the child amusedly before lifting his merlot gaze back to Yami, his lips reforming into a smile. "So what's on the itinerary for the evening, mister taskmaster?"

  
Yami made a ' _hmph_ ' similar to Yuugi's as he turned to reenter the kitchen, making a beckoning gesture with an arm for Atem to have a seat at the cleared off dining table.

  
"It's a household tradition that when choosing multi-player games, the games are chosen by youngest to oldest players. So we wait for Yuugi to pick what he wants to play," Yami answered as he retrieved a glass cup from the cupboard. "Do you want anything to drink in the meantime? There's water, a few different juices..."

  
"Oh, no, I'm fine," Atem deposited himself into a chair at the table, watching Yami nod and fetch a pitcher of water from the fridge and begin to pour some for himself. "So how many other games are we playing tonight where you're gonna run circles around me?" he asked playfully.

  
Yami just chuckled while returning the pitcher to the fridge then leveled a sly, half-lidded stare at Atem from over the rim of the glass, chin tilted up and to the side slightly. "You're in for a surprise if you think I'm the only dangerous competition in this house," he smirked, before taking a mouth-filling sip of water.

  
Atem knew, really he did, that the look Yami gave him was meant to be teasing, playful, but dear god it did not help his resolution to not make a buffoon out of himself because _fuck_ that look was hot as hell.

  
"O-oh?" was all Atem could sputter out while he tried to get himself together.

  
He was saved from any further chances at embarrassment when Yuugi's voice suddenly called out from the living room.

  
"Got it! I wanna play this one first!" Yuugi ran over to the dining table with a long, rectangular box in his hands.

* * *

_Game One - Jenga_

  
The block tower was starting to look like swiss cheese at this point and it was difficult to locate pieces that could be extracted without catastrophe. The tower was balanced precariously on two blocks side-by-side at the base, so any wrong move could easily make it topple. Atem's eyes narrowed as he studied the column carefully.

  
"Well?" Yami smirked at him from across the table, arms folded and leaned back in his chair. "We're waiting."

  
Atem glared good-naturedly at him over the tower and straightened his back.

  
"I'm about to show you two my Secret Technique," he grinned while cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders dramatically. "What you are about to see you must never tell another soul."

  
Yami snorted in mild amusement, but Yuugi was fully taken in by Atem's theatrics.

  
"We won't tell anyone!" the child laughed, leaning forward bright-eyed and eager but careful enough not to jostle the table. "Show us!"

  
"Watch and learn, kiddo," Atem winked at Yuugi before he bent down to look eye level with the table's surface. He reached out and carefully nudged the outermost block of the two that were left balancing the whole column; a testing nudge to see how the tower moved. Yuugi gasped.

  
"If you take that block, the whole thing'll come down!"

  
"You think so?" Atem was the one smirking this time. The index finger and thumb of a steady hand gripped the two ends of the block, then paused for dramatic effect. 

  
Yuugi was on the edge of his seat, eyes wide.

  
Yami squinted, staring at the chosen block hard.

  
Atem suddenly whipped his hand away from the column as fast as a bolt, block between his fingers. 

  
The tower wobbled... wobbled... then settled, still standing tall on a single solitary center block at its foundation. He then very carefully placed the block on the top of the tower, in the center, and still the column held. Smiling, Atem whisked his hand away.

  
"Wow!" Yuugi was impressed, where Yami was frowning at the remaining column.

  
"I do believe it's your turn now, Yami," Atem had the nerve to say as he sank back down in his chair, grinning in victory.

  
Yami gave him a mildly dirty look then focused on the tower, leaning in. His hand hovered here and there but damn, it all looked so perilous and Atem's previous move made it even moreso. Well, he'd take his loss like a man if it came to it.

  
He chose the least risky looking block he could and carefully tried to nudge it out, but halfway out of its space the tower shook. Yami could only watch in dismay as it finally caved to the side and splattered onto the table top.

Game one to Atem.

* * *

_Game Two - Uno_

  
"You did _not_ just play a Draw Four on me!"

  
"I believe I just did, kiddo!"

  
"Aww but I had Uno! That's so not fair!"

  
"That's your just desserts for doing the same thing to me seven turns ago!"

  
"Yami, help me!"

  
"Didn't you just play a Skip Turn on me not more than a minute ago, Yuugi?"

  
"Maybe but... but I'm your brother!"

  
"Uh huh. Take your extras and play your card, my dear little brother. And don't think you're out of the woods, meathead. It's my turn now and I've been saving this especially for you."

  
"And how long have you been holding onto that Skip Turn for, you brat?"

  
"Long enough."

  
Game two eventually to Yami.

* * *

_Game Three - Monopoly_

  
Nearly an hour into Monopoly and Atem was on his third glass of water with how much he was sweating. He'd had actual business ventures that were less stressful than this. He gulped in dread as he slowly looked up from the board at the individual smirking at him.

  
But it wasn't Yami.

  
"That's my hotel there, so that's two thousand you owe me," Yuugi smugly announced, holding out his hand. "And from the looks of it, that puts you in debt, Mr. Atem!"

  
Atem could only give Yami a wide-eyed look as he shelled over the what remains of his colorful money into Yuugi's waiting hand. The older Mutou could only shrug helplessly as he wasn't doing too hot either. Yuugi owned almost half the board by this point and Yami was one bad dice roll away from landing on his own bankruptcy at the hands of one of Yuugi's hotels.

  
Yuugi was still smirking as he added Atem's meager funds to his bounty, looking every bit like a miniature lavender-eyed Yami in his impending victory.

  
Game three to Yuugi.

* * *

_Game Four - Shogi_

  
Yami was leaned back in his chair, one leg folded over the other and glass of water in hand, as he watched the proceedings with interest. Yuugi had shyly asked if it was okay if he and Atem could play a round of Shogi under the excuse that he wanted to play against different kinds of opponents, and Yami gave his encouragement. 

  
While he didn't think Atem was just going to overwhelm him immediately, Yami had to admit he wasn't sure how it was going to go. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Atem treated the match similar to how he himself played with Yuugi. He used it as a teaching opportunity, gently coaching his brother who was unused to Atem's style on how to approach and confront more aggressive tactics. Yuugi, like a good little sponge, soaked it all up with the same eager enthusiasm he would show when they would play just the two of them.

  
It was a little strange to watch from the outside, but Yami didn't feel jealous. He felt... he wasn't sure of the words, to be honest. Outside of Yuugi and his late family, he wasn't used to _feeling_ things about other people. He knew it wasn't normal to feel so apathetic to others, so detatched from everything outside of his little world with Yuugi, but he didn't know how to be any different.

  
But as he watched Atem interact with Yuugi, giving him his full attention and treating him like he was more than just a child, or just the brother of his friend, Yami felt... _something_ , the same kind of _something_ he felt when playing a favorite game, or during those rare moments after Yuugi had gone to bed and he had just a few minutes to himself with zero responsibilities, where he could just exist in the moment and relax. 

  
Atem had chosen then at the tail end of Yami's dramatic self reflection to flick a glance at him, and flash that boyish grin upon meeting his eyes. The unnamed feeling grew too much and Yami had to avert his eyes to side, but he did not stop the responding smile from emerging onto his face.

  
Game four to Atem.

* * *

  
"Alright, it's time for pill and then bed, Yuugi," Yami softly announced as he pulled Yuugi's chair away from the table and gently guided him up to his feet.

  
"But m'not sleepy," Yuugi mumbled with a yawn, but put up no resistance to being ushered into a standing position.

  
Atem watched the cute interaction with a content expression, one arm thrown over the back of his chair and the other resting on the table, the ankle of one leg propped up on the opposite thigh.

  
"Hmh, sure you aren't," Yami affectionately carded his fingers through Yuugi's hair before urging him towards the hallway where the bathroom and bedrooms were. "I'll be back," he said to Atem.

  
"Night, Mr. Atem," Yuugi smiled sleepy as they passed by.

  
"Night, kiddo," Atem murmured back, eyes trailing the two as they left.

  
When the two brothers turned out of sight, Atem straightened his legs and stood with a lethargic stretch. He used this moment to take a good look at his surroundings. Similarly to downstairs the upper living space was antiquated and small, much more than some apartments he'd seen, but there was a homey feel to it that made it cozy. Just right for the small, cozy family that lived here.

  
The wall adjacent to the stairs he'd arrived up earlier in the evening caught his eye; or rather, what was on the wall. His curiosity was roused and, after giving a quick glance to the hallway, he drifted over to the wall and the framed pictures hanging on it. He got the vague feeling that he was doing something he shouldn't, but the images played heavily to his desire to know more about the Mutou family.

  
The first picture was very interesting indeed. Depicted was a stout, aged man with a keen look in his pale violet eyes hunched over a Shogi board across from another elderly gentleman in a suit. There was a black bandana tied over his hair leaving just the spiked bangs jutting out, and if the style wasn't familiar enough, the intense look of focused concentration on his face as he pondered over the Shogi board definitely was. It was a look he had committed to memory since his Shogi game with Yami. This had to be the man himself, Sugoroku Mutou, the King of Games. Atem recognized the background as the community center in New Town where Shogi tournaments were held, but this appeared to be pre-renovation as the center now had different flooring. Atem looked at it a moment longer, before moving onto the next picture.

  
He felt a smile creep onto his face at this one. The location of this picture was just downstairs, the counter area of the game store taken from towards the door, and it didn't look like it had changed a bit. Sugoroku Mutou was behind the counter but seated sideways, with a Shogi board on the counter top. His opponent... it had to be Yami. A very young Yami, Atem guessed he could not be more than six or seven years old here, but there was no mistaking those vibrant crimson eyes that scrutinized the board like it was serious business. Sugoroku's expression however was soft, smiling with both lips and eyes, as he watched his grandson.

  
The next picture after that made his half-smile fully fledge across his face. Holy shit it was adorable. This picture featured the very same living room he stood in now, and same worn couch that was behind him. Laying on it asleep on his back was young Yami, not looking too much older than the previous picture, but what really made this image was the small baby wrapped in Yami's arms laying on his chest, also asleep. That tiny baby couldn't be anyone other than Yuugi. They were both dead to the world and the mischievous picture taker. Atem let his eyes linger on the scene for several moments before he moved on.

  
The next picture looked professionally done, with its neutral toned backdrop and lighting. In it were Sugoroku, who was smartly dressed but still retained his bandana, and a young Yami, who wasn't so much smiling at the camera as he was smirking. The third person was a beautiful woman whose hand was resting on Yami's shoulder. She had long, dark hair with the familiar golden bangs, but they weren't as long or pronounced as the other two's. She had a rounded face and gentle lavender eyes, but even though she looked happy, there was a deep weariness in her eyes.

  
"That's our mother."

  
Atem almost jumped out of his skin at Yami's sudden voice, his heart hammering loudly.

  
"Fuck, I'm sorry," he took a step back from the wall, praying his nosiness hadn't offended the other. "I didn't mean to snoop..."

  
"Relax, it's fine," Yami gave him a reassuring half-smile as he stepped up to stand next to him, before turning his eyes to the portrait, the smile slipping off his face as he studied it. "In this photo, she was only a month or so pregnant with Yuugi. I remember," he mused, sounding almost wistful, "Grandfather was fussy because he wanted her to stay home and rest, but she insisted saying she wanted a nice new portrait to hang up."

  
"Yuugi looks just like her."

  
"Yes... yes he does."

  
"Do you mind telling me about the other pictures?" Atem tentatively asked.

  
Yami did not reply, but he stepped over to stand in front of the photo previous to the portrait and Atem moved with him. He looked at the image of his sleeping younger self holding baby Yuugi, and the corners of his mouth twitched up in a barely-there smile.

  
"I was ten here, and Yuugi was one. There is not much else to say, other than grandfather thought himself very sneaky."

  
"Heh," Atem smiled. "I think this is my favorite picture up here."

  
Yami just huffed mildly as he stepped to the next picture. He looked at the image of his young self and his grandfather for several long, silent moments. 

  
"You and your grandfather seemed very close," Atem quietly commented.

  
"Yes. He treated me, us, like we were his sons, even after..." Yami trailed off momentarily, the tightening of his jaw and eyes barely noticeable, "...well, even after it became just the three of us."

  
"He sounds like he was a great man," Atem said, wishing he'd had the chance to meet him in person. Maybe he would have met Yami sooner, too.

  
"He was," Yami affirmed then reached a hand around to his back pocket, withdrawing his wallet. "My favorite picture isn't on the wall," he said as he opened it and used his thumb to ease a small, worn photo out from one of the sleeves. A nostalgic look took Yami's face as he looked at it briefly, before extending it to Atem.

  
Atem handled the picture like it was something precious. It was another shot of downstairs in the game shop, this time in front of the counter. The Yami in it was older, more current, as was Yuugi. They stood on either side of a Sugoroku much older than in the previous photos, far more greyed and worn, but Atem could still see the intensity and life in his violet eyes. All three were smiling at the camera which looked to be held out at a distance by Yami.

  
"You're right, this is a good one," Atem acknowledged with a grin before returning the picture to Yami. "How long ago was that? It looks pretty recent."

  
"About two years, roughly," was the answer as Yami took the picture back and carefully slid it back into his wallet. He then cast a side glance at the older man, "He would've liked you, I think."

  
"You think so?"

  
"Mm-hm," Yami looked at him more fully then with a faint half-smile. "Clever, funny, a good opponent... yes, he would've liked you."

  
Atem felt the familiar feeling of hoping to god he wasn't blushing as he looked away, smiling nervously. There were so many things he wanted to say in that moment, things like _'and you? how do you feel about me?'_ and _'I think that I have more-than-a-friend feelings for you'_ but he couldn't get a single word past the choked feeling in his throat. His fear of possibly ruining this friendship if Yami didn't take it well snuffed out any thought of admission. His internal crisis was interrupted when the object of such suddenly spoke, oblivious to Atem's hidden distress.

  
"Hey," Yami said, leaning in just-so with a sly grin on his face. "You showed us your 'Secret Technique' earlier. How would you like to see a secret of ours in return?"

  
"Y-yeah," Atem responded after taking a deep breath, just barely getting a grip on himself. "If you want to show me, then I want to see," he finished more firmly.

  
"I think you would appreciate it," Yami nodded, then turned and moved away back toward the hallway. "I'll bring it to the table, if you'd wait for me there."

  
Yami disappeared around a corner down the hall as Atem drifted back to the table, feeling mentally exhausted from his tumultuous feelings. He rubbed his eyes with two fingers. God, what was wrong with him? He could command respect and obedience from anyone else at work just with the right tone of voice, but he couldn't bring himself to tell someone that he liked them? He really was pathetic. But then again... it wasn't just any _someone_... He sighed heavily. _Just stop thinking about it_ , he demanded of himself, but it was easier said than done.

  
By the time Yami returned a few minutes later, Atem had mostly calmed himself down. He looked curiously at a medium-sized wooden case that was placed reverently on the table. The wood was dark in color, and each side was deeply carved and inlaid in mother-of-pearl with a large and detailed turtle flanked by swooping cranes and lilies. There was an aged bronze handle on the top, as well as a matching clasp on the front near an edge that looked to allow it to open.

  
Yami unlatched the clasp and opened the front box, revealing four drawers each with small, round bronze knobs. Carefully, he pulled out each drawer and placed them on the table side by side, revealing its contents. Each drawer contained neat and organized rows of mahjong tiles that featured depictions of bamboo stalks, colorful beetles, the sun and the moon, and leaping minnows, as well as the more traditionally patterned tiles normally seen in mahjong sets.

  
"Wow," Atem breathed as he leaned down to get a closer look, sinking into a chair. "These are really beautiful."

  
"You can pick them up for a better look. I know you'll treat them carefully."

  
Atem was very hesitant but he'd never beheld such a unique looking mahjong set, so with the utmost care he extracted a piece, one illustrated with a stylized sun and the rough silhouette of a flying crane. He noted that the tiles were dovetailed and had the smooth texture and luster of ivory. He brought it in for a closer inspection and suddenly felt like maybe he shouldn't be handling something like this with his bare, clumsy hands because the sketch-like way the piece was carved and painted had the look of being done by hand.

  
"Damn," he breathed, awed, as he returned the tile to its previous place with the rest of the set that was undoubtedly museum quality. "Where did you _get_ something like this?"

  
"It was handed down to me when I turned sixteen," Yami looked very smug and proud as he ran his fingertips along the side of one of the drawers, knowing he had something special. "It's our family heirloom, made by my grandfather's grandfather, Karuta Mutou. The story goes, as grandfather liked to tell it, Karuta was an adventurer of sorts, traveling the world and experiencing its cultures. During his stay in China, he saw a man outside of a teahouse playing mahjong and was very intrigued. Needless to say, the Mutou penchant for games stretched even that far back," he grinned a little.

  
Atem nodded as he listened, intent and very interested.

  
"He had never seen anything like it," Yami continued. "So he asked the man to tell him about the game, how to play, and where he could learn more. Turns out, the man was a craftsman who had carved the very mahjong set he was playing. He didn't know what to make of this strange foreigner and was very reluctant, so Karuta offered a deal to him. He would teach the craftsman a game from his home country and they would play the game. If he won, the craftsman would teach him how to play mahjong, but if he lost, he would go on his way with nothing. Want to guess what the game was?"

  
"Shogi?" Atem concluded.

  
Yami nodded, "Karuta carried a Shogi board with him on his travels, as it was his favorite game. The craftsman agreed, and after an afternoon of going over the rules and having some practice matches, they engaged in their real game."

  
"And Karuta won."

  
"Of course," Yami smirked, his arms folding loosely. "The craftsman kept up his end of the bargain, and Karuta not only learned the ins and outs of mahjong, he spent the next two years under the craftsman's mentorship learning how to carve and paint the tiles himself. Only when he felt he had mastered the techniques enough to do it with ease did he bid farewell to the craftsman and China to continue his worldly travels, during which he made this." He swept his hand over the drawers spread on the table.

  
"Damn, that is some story! That's very cool," Atem enthused with a satisfied grin as he savored the tale. 

  
Yami smiled at him, one of his authentic smiles that made his eyes light up and Atem's heart shudder, as he brought his hands to the top of the wooden case and tapped the edge of the inlaid turtle design with his fingertips.

  
"It was Karuta Mutou who adopted the turtle as a sort of.. family crest, so to speak. In Japan it's supposed to symbolize happiness and longetivity, and in China, it stands for determination and power. All things that appealed to Karuta greatly."

  
"The turtle stands for good luck as well, I've heard," Atem grinned, leaning an elbow on the table and propping his chin in his palm. "That would explain how you were able to beat me in Shogi," he teased lightly.

  
Yami actually huffed out a brief laugh and narrowed his eyes at him in good humor.

  
"I'd rather think that I am just that damn good."

  
"You would," Atem chuckled, but it broken into a stifled yawn at the end. The action made Yami's eyes seek out the clock on the living room wall.

  
"I apologize, I didn't mean to have you stay so late listening to me ramble for so long," Yami expressed with some embarrassment as he began sliding the drawers back into their slots in the wooden case. Atem brushed away the apology with an airy hand wave.

  
"Don't be, I enjoyed every minute of my being here, and I very much appreciate you sharing that story with me," Atem tried to convey with as much sincerity as he could muster as he rose from his chair.

  
He felt blessed to be on the receiving end of yet another genuine smile, but he also felt cursed at the same time.

* * *

Yami felt awash with contentment as he escorted Atem to the back door and watched as he donned his shoes. The night had gone far, far better than he expected and he was a little sorry to see it end, but he'd kept Atem long enough.

  
"Thank you for coming tonight," he said to Atem as he leaned against the wall near the door, his fingers shoved into his jeans pockets. "Yuugi and I liked having you here."

  
Atem smiled at him as he finished tying his shoes and straightened up. "Well I liked being here, most fun I've had in a long time, so thank _you_ for inviting me."

  
"You know," Yami looked down for a moment as he shifted his weight, feeling a small twinge of shyness suddenly, "if you wanted... well, we have game night every Friday around this time, so.. if you wanted, you're welcome to come again whenever."

  
"Yeah?"

  
There was an odd tone in Atem's voice, but it didn't sound like he was averse to the idea so Yami just nodded once. 

  
"Then in that case," Atem really beamed at him then, and the sight of it made that feeling that Yami didn't know the name of pulse rather hard in his chest, "I may take you up on that."

  
"Good," Yami managed a returning half-smile. "See you later?"

  
"Yeah, later. Goodnight, Yami."

  
"Goodnight," he bid the exiting Atem softly, and after the door had closed behind him, the upward tilt of Yami's lips evened out in a troubled line. He wasn't sure if he liked these confusing feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no dramatic admissions of feelings yet. I kinda want them to suffer a bit more, hehe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience, readers. ^^

The next few weeks were both the best, and the worst, for Atem. Every Friday evening found him at the Mutou residence, the stress of the day _(hell, the week!)_ melting away leaving only an absolute happiness and tranquility that he couldn't get anywhere else. He would have liked to visit more often during the weekdays too, but very suddenly Yami was _busy_. 

The game store owner had decided to bite the bullet and invest in the new Duel Monsters card game, and in just a little over a week after Atem's first game night, Turtle Game Shop was able to stock the new game. It was fairly successful and it didn't take long to be completely sold out, leaving Yami having to order more just after the first week. The spike in the shop's success had put Yami in a really good mood lately, and it rubbed off on Atem like wet paint every time he was over there.

  
With the good, however, came the bad. Atem had become aware that he couldn't go a single day without thoughts of Yami invading his conscious, it didn't matter where he was or what he was doing. In the office he found himself dreamily staring out of the wall-length window at the city, wondering how Yami's day was going. At the gym he would zone out during his routines, wondering if Yami would be opposed to going out to lunch the next day. At home he wondered what Yami was up to and if he wouldn't mind talking over the phone. 

  
None of those were inherently bad... _yet_. Then it started to get _worse_. Less innocent and harmless, and far more _impure_.

  
Suddenly mornings assaulted him with thoughts of what it might be like to wake up next to Yami, to feel that svelte body in his arms. Time at the gym was plagued by speculations of what that body might look like under the black clothes it wore, and thinking how ridiculous it was to be jealous of _clothing_. Trying to unwind at home was foiled by intrusive thoughts of imagining how Yami might feel against him without all that clothing, under his hands, under his lips... These thoughts especially left him feeling immensely guilty and it was a miracle he even found the willpower to meet Yami's eyes on Fridays. But then Yami would smile at him and the games would begin, and he would relax and let it all go until the cycle began again the next day. It was getting to the point Atem thought he might explode from the pressure.

  
"What in the hell am I supposed to do?" Atem laments to his sister during a Thursday dinner. He had given up on the pretense of trying to eat a while ago, instead hoping to drown himself in enough wine to stifle his intense longing.

  
"What do you mean?" Mana questioned as she paused to sip her mimosa. "Just tell the guy how you feel, duh!" she said, as if it were obvious.

  
"I can't do that."

  
"Why not?"

  
"Because," Atem prepped to argue as he refilled his wine glass from the bottle he'd told the waiter to just leave at the table to save him the trouble of having to come back every five minutes. "Did you miss the part where I said how amazing he is?"

  
"Honey, you sing his praises every time we talk," Mana's eyes twinkled in amusement and she paused to take another bite of her shrimp scampi. "And how is that even a problem?"

  
"He could do so much better than someone like me," he sighed forlornly, watching the wine swish around in his glass before downing the whole thing in one gulp. Mana frowned and seemed primed to disagree, but Atem went on. "I have control issues, I drink too much, I get... mad easily. _Too_ easily. No one wants to be with someone like that." Another depressed sigh, another refilling of his wine glass.

  
"Oh 'Tem," Mana reached over to gently pat his free hand. "Nobody's perfect. I'll bet not even Yami," she ignored the narrow-eyed look she received, as if Atem wanted to argue. "You are a caring, loyal person, you're well-off, and all my girlfriends think you're outrageously hot. Plus you know you have some problems, you don't ignore them like some other people. All things considered, you're a catch!"

  
Atem just snorted softly, finally giving his food a little attention if only to try and balance out the amount of wine he's consumed, and will likely keep consuming.

  
"He has enough to worry about without some older man trying to push his affections onto him," he mumbled, tipping the wine bottle over his glass to refill then curling his fingers around its stem. His words seemed to trigger a whole other tangent and he glared at the dark liquid with similarly-colored eyes. "That's another thing, he's fuckin' nineteen, Mana. Nineteen! I was already a grown-ass man at the helm of the business when he was _fourteen_ years old! Fuck," he groaned morosely as he executed another impressive single-gulp vanishing act on his glass's contents. "I feel like such a damn pervert."

  
"Hon, I love you to death," Mana rolled her eyes at her brother's dramatics. "But you tend to overthink things way too much. So what if he's nineteen, didn't you tell me how independent he was? Managing his shop and his home, and taking care of his little brother all by himself? Plus it's not as if nineteen is underage. He is a consenting, legal adult."

  
"I just wish I knew what he was thinking sometimes," Atem sighed as he picked at his meal, his mind saturated with melancholy and sangria. "What he was feeling. But he's so hard to read, he's like a bolted door." Except for those times when Yami graces him with one of those true smiles and the door unlocks, cracks open revealing the vibrancy behind them. God, what he wouldn't give just to see that smile every day...

  
"At the very least he must like you some, right?" Mana gently tried to reassure. "You said he asked you to show up tomorrow early to have dinner over there, that has to mean something."

  
"Friends have dinner together all the time."

  
"Maybe he's just really shy, afraid to say anything just like you are."

  
Atem just grunted; he really doubted that.

  
"Either way, 'Tem," Mana continued, twining a bit more pasta around her fork. "The only way you're gonna find out is if you say something. Do you really wanna wait around until someone else happens to swoop in and charm your cute game shop guy? If he's as amazing as you say he is," she shot her brother a crafty look across the table, "then someone else is gonna notice eventually."

  
In Atem's wine-infused state he didn't even realize he was being baited, all he felt was an immediate burning jealousy and possessiveness that made his fingers tightly clench his wine glass.

  
"No one would _dare_."

  
"Or what?" Mana risked saying, knowing she was poking the bear but sometimes you had to in order to make the bear see reason. "If Yami decided to pursue someone else, you'd have to accept his choice. It's not like a business deal where you can hard-talk the opposing party into submission."

  
"Are you _trying_ to make me mad?" he growled, scowling balefully at her.

  
"No, honey," she articulated calmly, meeting his stormy glare. "I'm trying to make you understand. You're on a time limit, and you aren't happy with how things are now. So your choices here are tell him and finally have some closure regardless of the outcome, or keep miserably pining until it's too late."

  
Atem exhaled through his nose as he looked away, the anger slowly draining out of him. She was right, it was only a matter of time before someone far more qualified for Yami's attention came along. Especially now, with how busy the game shop had become. Any day now someone could walk in and notice Yami's radiance and be just as enamored as he is.

  
"I know," he released a long-suffering sigh. "I know. It's just... all I can think about is a bunch of _'what if'_ s. What if he's disgusted? What if he's not even interested in men and I end up insulting him? What if--," Atem swallowed hard. "What if he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore? I'd rather have him in my life as a friend than not at all."

  
"You know him better than I do, do you really think he'd react like that?"

  
Atem paused to think about that. He'd never gotten any sort of hint that might reveal Yami's preferences, and he hated the idea of saying anything without having at least some ounce of insight on the matter. But... at the same time, he didn't believe Yami would react callously.

  
"No, I guess not..."

  
"Then there you go," Mana told him. "I know you are a little socially awkward with personal relationships but I know you can do it! And If you think about it, you don't have anything to lose! You tell him and he either turns you down, which will result in some awkwardness for a little while at most, or he accepts your feelings and, well..." She winked at him with an impish grin as she tore off a small piece from a breadstick. "It sounds like a good deal to me, and I know a good deal when I see one." She popped the piece of bread into her mouth.

  
Atem's stomach churned with anxiety. Even with all the correct points his sister made, he didn't know if he had it in him.

* * *

  
Yami had been so busy during the week that he didn't get a chance to go grocery shopping until Friday had already arrived, and he had to call it a half-day for the shop so he could go while Yuugi was at school. He walked down the aisle that displayed fresh meats with a small basket held in the cook of his elbow, looking over the more expensive options. Since the shop was doing so well lately, he decided to indulge a bit and get the really good ingredients for that night's dinner. 

  
He carefully perused the chicken options before picking out a package of chicken breasts and depositing them into his basket to join the bottle of lemon juice, onion, and container of spinach already collected, then continued on to gather the rest of his mental checklist though with no small amount of distraction.

  
He'd not really gotten far into sorting out the feelings he was experiencing in regards to Atem, his attempts just leaving him feeling more confused than before. In the end he just assumed this was how normal people felt about their friends. Not that he would really know what was _normal_. He'd never went out of his way to make any so he didn't have much to go off of. It made him feel a little hypocritical in a way, because he'd always encouraged Yuugi to offer his friendship to others but he never practiced what he preached. So he was determined to foster this new friendship to at least serve as a good role model for his young brother.

  
_But that's not the only reason, is it?_ a small voice in the back of his mind whispered. He unconsciously frowned a little as he skimmed the selection of sauces lined up on a shelf, before plucking a bottle of Worcestershire sauce from its place and setting it in his basket. It wasn't all that long ago when he believed that all he wanted or needed in his life was Yuugi and the game shop, now all of a sudden he found himself liking this other person around. Not just that, but _wanting_ him around. Yami looked forward to seeing him on Fridays, looked forward to the odd times Atem would call or text just to ask how his day had been. Looked forward to seeing his handsome smile... _what_? He wasn't exactly sure where _that_ particular train of thought came from because as far as he knew he wasn't gay. Or straight. Or anything, really. He'd never been interested in anything like that before so there was no reason for it to crop up now. Just thinking another man looked good physically didn't make one gay, right? This was a whole 'nother can of worms Yami did not want to open and get into right now so he decided to set the matter aside for later. Much later.

  
Yami sighed as he went into autopilot while wandering the aisles, fetching this and that for his basket as he let his mind continue to drift. He really hoped Atem liked what he planned to serve tonight. Caring what another person thought about him or anything he did was another new sensation he wasn't sure how to feel about, but again surely it must be something normal between friends. Who knew having one would be so complicated?

* * *

  
Yami leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded and watching Yuugi sort through Duel Monsters cards on the living room floor when he heard the back door open and close. He had instructed Atem to just let himself in when he arrived, and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard a familiar voice call out _'heyo!'_ from the bottom of the stairs. Yuugi wasted absolutely no time in ambushing his new favorite person before he'd even finished climbing the stairwell.

  
"Atem!" he exclaimed excitedly, having dropped the 'Mr.' prefix after Atem had told the boy that he could just call him Atem. "You gotta come check these out, they're so cool!"

  
"Come check what out?" Atem asked as he ascended the final step, his eyes automatically searching out Yami. It had taken him quite a lot of doing but he'd managed to pull himself together into a functional human being and not a heap of nerves. As soon as his gaze landed on the older Mutou in the kitchen, he smiled readily. "Hey, Yami."

  
"Hey, yourself," Yami answered, his lips quirking into that little half-smile that Atem had decided he liked a lot. "Still have a few minutes before the oven goes off, so feel free to indulge my brother before he implodes on himself."

  
"Alright," Atem chuckled before leisurely ambling to where Yuugi was kneeling down next to a spread of cards on the floor. "So what's this you wanted to show me, kiddo?" he asked, folding his legs to sit cross-legged on the floor across from Yuugi, the cards in between them.

  
"I'm making a Duel Monsters deck! Yami said I could open some packs if I did good in school!" Yuugi scooped a couple of the cards up and thrust them enthusiastically at Atem, who accepted them amusedly. One of them looked vaguely familiar and he remembered he saw it in Yami's magazine, and the other looked like a brown puffball. "This one is Kuriboh, he's my favorite. And this one is called the Dark Magician, he's really cool too!"

  
"Oh yeah?" Atem smiled as he looked the cards over, he still didn't really know much about the game but Yuugi's happiness was infectious. "You like this game, huh?"

  
"Yeah! It's a lot of fun!"

  
"You want to tell me how to play it, then?"

  
"Okay!"

  
Yami listened as Yuugi went into a surprisingly eloquent explanation of the game's rules, what each card color meant, how to play them, and so on to Atem who gave him his full attention as he went on. There it was again... that feeling of pleased contentment that arose whenever he watched Atem and his brother interact. He continued to placidly watch them, listening to Yuugi's animated words and Atem's earnest comments, until the stove finally beeped.

  
"Alright, Yuugi," he said as he turned to the oven, arms unfolding to reach out and turn off the stove settings. "It's time to come set the table."

  
"Aw, okay," Yuugi reluctantly responded and gathered his cards up into a small stack before both he and Atem stood from the floor.

  
"Can I help with anything?" offered Atem as he followed the younger Mutou towards the kitchen and around the dividing counter.

  
"No, you are our guest," Yami declined as he donned a pair of oven mitts, and Atem tried really hard not to stare as he bent over to open the oven door. "Just have a seat at the table while everything gets set up."

  
"Well, you're the boss," Atem had to tear his eyes away as the other bent further to reach into the oven, opting to turn and go to the small dining table where Yuugi was setting up plates and silverware. "Thanks, kiddo," he grinned as he sunk into the same chair he's used every game night. Yuugi smiled at him, taking up residence between Atem and where Yami would sit.

  
"Yami's food is always really good," Yuugi gushed at him.

  
"It smells good, whatever it is!" Atem praised.

  
Yami smirked a bit as he carried two glass dishes over to the table and set them down in the center, along with two serving utensils. "This one is baked chicken with what Yuugi likes to call 'awesomesauce'," he gestured to one dish that had five juicy-looking chicken breasts all lined up and glazed in a golden sauce, still piping hot. "And the other is a spinach stuffing with pecans and a little... surprise ingredient. Help yourselves."

  
_Awesomesauce? Surprise ingredient?_ Atem was intrigued, to say the least. He assisted in helping Yuugi dish out a chicken breast and a scoop of the stuffing onto the boy's plate before setting about filling his own.

  
"What would you like to drink?" Yami then asked, fetching three glasses from the cupboard. He filled each glass with a few cubes of ice from the freezer before swinging the refrigerator door open to list off their options. "There's filtered water, tea, juice... You seem to like lemonade so I made some of that, too."

  
That caused Atem to pause in the middle of scooping the serving spoon into the stuffing. He blinked, his eyes lifting to look at Yami in the kitchen.

  
"...You made lemonade for me?"

  
"Well, 'made' is sort of subjective. I don't have a lemon squeezer so I started with bottled lemon juice and went from there."

  
There was a definite pulse in Atem's chest. He was amazed that Yami actually took note that he always ordered lemonade during the scant few times they've gone somewhere for lunch, and went out of his way to make some for tonight. It was a battle but he managed to turn the stupid smile that was threatening to unfold on his face into something more normal looking, feeling very warm.

  
"I'd love some lemonade. Thank you."

  
"And you, Yuugi?" Yami asked as he withdrew the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and filled one of the glasses.

  
"Can I have some lemonade too?" came Yuugi's reply, prompting Yami to cock an eyebrow over at his younger sibling dubiously.

  
"You sure? You know you don't like anything even remotely tart."

  
"I'm sure!"

  
Yami just shrugged and tipped the pitcher over a second glass, only filling this one a little less than halfway. He brought both glasses to the table and distributed them out, before returning to the kitchen to retrieve a beverage for himself. Atem took a cursory sip of his lemonade and mentally heaved a dreamy sigh. His sister couldn't have been more wrong; everything about Yami was perfect.

  
Yuugi took a big mouthful of his lemonade and the sudden sharp twist on his face made Yami chuckle as he returned to the table, glass of sweet tea in hand. 

  
"I told you," Yami smirked at his brother, then flicked his eyes over to Atem as he took a drink of his tea. "I ought to have you over every night, maybe you can inspire Yuugi to eat more vegetables."

  
_Yes please_ , Atem thought but didn't dare say. Instead he just smiled a little nervously while sectioning off a piece of chicken with his fork, speared it, and brought it into his mouth. He chewed, very aware of how closely Yami was watching him but he didn't have time to feel self-conscious because suddenly there was a tantalizing array of flavors in his mouth that surprised him. There was the seasoned zest of the chicken but the sauce was surprisingly sweet and savory with a faint undertone of peach, and there was something else in this 'awesomesauce' that was really familiar but he couldn't put his finger on.

  
"This is really friggin' good," Atem praised without restraint once he had swallowed. "What's this sauce made from?"

  
"It's a secret," Yami answered with a faint grin, taking a bite of his own food. "Maybe I'll tell you someday, if you're lucky."

"Will you at least tell me what the surprise ingredient is in the stuffing?"

  
Yami slyly glanced across the table at the older man, as if pondering, then said, "Let's see if you can figure it out."

  
Atem shoveled a little heap of stuffing onto his fork and brought it up for examination. He didn't really see anything that stood out as unusual, so he took it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "The texture of the breading almost reminds me of a waffle."

  
"That's because it is."

  
"No kidding?" Atem took another bite, marveled. "Who would have thought? It tastes great, especially with the--" It dawned on him then. "Wait, is there _maple syrup_ in this sauce?!"

  
Yami chortled, "I've been found out. Yes, there is. It's Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little maple syrup and peach preserves."

  
"How'd you come up that?"

  
"Experimentation, mostly," Yami answered as he gathered a bit of stuffing onto his fork then stabbed a piece of chicken. "What you're tasting is the result of a lot of trial and error. Yuugi would tell you how many taste tests he'd had to endure before I got it right, though if he had it his way it would be way more sweet than this."

  
"It's still pretty good, it's like dinner and breakfast all rolled into one!" Yuugi proclaimed in between bites.

  
Atem made a small amused sound and the table went into silence for several moments, aside from the sound of silverware against plates, until he eventually asked, "How did you learn how to cook?"

  
Yami swallowed his mouthful of tea before replying, "I took home economics in both middle and high school. At first it was just so I could help out our grandfather with things around the house, but I found that I liked what I was being taught. Especially cooking." He lifted his fork up and thoughtfully looked at the tidbits of food on it. "Cooking is like putting together a puzzle. Every piece has its place, and when you put them all together you can make some amazing things."

  
As Yami talked, Atem was trying very hard not to look as captivated as he felt. He swore he could listen to Yami dictate the process of paint drying and still be just as enraptured with how the other described things.

  
Yami continued as he prepared another small pile of food on his fork, "I'm really glad I took those courses. It taught me all the things I'm putting to use now; personal finance, household management, cooking obviously... All things to help prepare me for taking care of a family."

  
He'd be lying if Atem said he wasn't greatly impressed. He knew some adults twice Yami's age that weren't as mature or put together as he was. "Have you thought about doing that professionally? Being a chef or something like that," he asked.

  
Yami chewed the food in his mouth and swallowed before answering, "Not really. I don't want to do it as a job, I just like to do it casually." A pause to take a sip of tea. "Plus I don't have time for more schooling."

  
"If you did?" Atem questioned, curious what Yami wanted to do in his life.

  
"I used to want to follow in grandfather's footsteps and become an archeologist. Uncover bits of a buried past and see what stories they had to tell."

  
_Used to?_ Atem wondered, but before he could inquire further, he saw Yami's eyes shift quickly from him to Yuugi's seat with a slightly furrowed brow. Atem glanced as well and noticed that Yuugi had stopped eating and was looking down with a despondently guilty look on his face. 

  
Yami set his fork down and was quick to reach over and place a firm, reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder, prompting the younger Mutou to look up at him. "But, I love my life now and I wouldn't trade it for anything even if I had the chance," he smiled, keeping eye contact with Yuugi as he spoke. "I don't regret a single thing. Alright?"

  
Yuugi didn't reply out loud, but he did smile shakily at his older brother and nod.

  
_Oh,_ Atem realized while observing this exchange that gave him a clearer picture. He guessed Yami must have put his entire future on hold so he could focus on taking care of his little brother. His thoughts floundered helplessly; he wanted so badly to do something, _anything_ , that would help them, to make their lives easier somehow but he didn't know what or if a gesture like that would even be appreciated.

  
So he just settled for saying, "You know, Yuugi, your brother is pretty cool."

  
"Yeah," Yuugi smiled. "I know."

* * *

  
After game night and once Yuugi had been put to bed, Atem had to nearly beg Yami to let him help do the dishes. There wasn't much really, but Yami looked tired enough and through enough insisting he had been reluctantly assigned to either being handed things for the dishwasher or drying things that couldn't go in it.

  
"So," Yami said as he wiped and rinsed food residue off a plate. "I don't feel we're quite even. You know an awful lot about me, but I still feel like I don't know enough about you." He held the plate out for Atem to be added to the washer.

  
"There's not much to tell really," answered Atem as he slotted the plate in between the dividers in the bottom row of the dishwasher. His brain wasn't handling standing this near to Yami alone very well and it seemed like it was insistent to point out that Yami was just the right height in comparison to him that he could press his lips to the other's forehead with ease, and wouldn't it be great to do so? _Shut up, brain!_

  
"I disagree. For example, is working in an office what you wanted to do with your life? Where is it you work at, anyway?"

  
Atem took the few bits of silverware being handed to him and took his time depositing them into the dishwasher. What could he say without saying too much? People always, _always_ , treated him differently when they found out who he was. Not that he necessarily thought Yami _would_ , but he didn't want to take that chance.

  
"Um," he stalled, trying to shake the right words from his brain which refused to focus. "I work in a firm that does a lot of imports and exports, either for commercial use or private individuals." He was handed another plate so he set that into the washer next to the previous one.

  
"Oh? What kind of things do you personally do?"

  
"Answer the phone and process paperwork, mostly. And uh... no, it's not exactly something I'd wanted to do in my life."

  
"I don't blame you, sounds a bit dull," Yami remarked, now working on scrubbing one of the glass serving plates with a soapy sponge. "No offense meant."

  
"None taken, it is really... I wouldn't say _boring_ , just.... uneventful."

  
"Why did you go into it if it wasn't what you wanted?"

  
"I didn't really have much of a choice. I mean," he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to fish for how to explain. "My parents are the type that... when you're born, they already have your life planned out for you. Where you'll go to school, what university you'll attend, where you'll end up working... hell, even who you date, but I put my foot down on that one."

  
Yami cast him a frowning glance as he rinsed the suds off the glass container and held it out to him. "Drying rack please, and that sounds... awful."

  
"Just how things are done in my family," Atem shrugged lightly as he placed the glass dish at an angle in the drying rack. "We don't really talk much anymore, anyway, unless I screw up at work."

  
"Why's that?"

  
Atem bit his bottom lip uncertainly. If he was ever going to make a move on Yami, then he was gonna find out eventually. Better to gauge his reaction now than later. "They, ah... didn't care much for my being... bisexual." This was it, he was going to at least find out if Yami was accepting of things like that. He felt like he was going to snap in half from how tense he was.

  
"Oh."

  
Atem managed not to physically flinch. "Um... yeah," he faltered, feeling anxiety coil in his stomach like a snake. He began to feel like he'd made a huge mistake, but when he risked taking a glance at Yami, the other didn't look disgusted or disapproving. Instead he looked contemplative, like he was thinking really hard about something. Atem almost jumped when Yami looked over at him, meeting his eyes.

  
"That must have been hard," the older Mutou said.

  
"Yeah, well," Atem still wasn't sure what to make of Yami's response, so he still felt very uneasy. "My parents are very traditional. I mean, they're 'tolerant'," he air quoted around the word, "but that's about as far as it goes."

  
"I didn't just mean telling _them_."

  
Then Yami smiled at him, and Atem felt like he could almost crumple with relief. He grinned back impulsively and had to look away to maintain composure. "Oh, um... yeah," he stammered out. It wasn't knowledge of Yami's own preferences but it was a good start.

  
"In the end it's their loss," Yami said, turning back to the sink to begin washing the last glass dish with the ghost of a smile on his face. "Because I think you're pretty cool, too."

  
Atem's face heated at that, but it paled in comparison to the glowing warmth in his chest.

* * *

  
Just like the end of every other previous Friday, Yami escorted him to the back door and leaned against the wall while he put his shoes back on. Despite how well earlier went, Atem was back to being filled with apprehension. Was now a good time to say something? To tell him...?

  
"Sorry for keeping you so late again," Yami spoke up, shaking Atem from his internal conflict. "I know a long drive back into New Town isn't ideal this late at night."

  
"Don't be sorry, you know I like coming out here," Atem grinned reassuringly up at him as he finished tying his shoes and stood. He couldn't help some mild amusement at his own words because just a little more than a month ago he dreaded having to brave Old Town's maze-like streets. Now he felt like he could navigate to Yami's house with his eyes closed. "Plus it's not that long, most of the traffic has died down by now so it's only about thirty minutes to get home from here."

  
"If you say so," Yami gave him his little half-smile. "Thanks for helping with the dishes."

  
"Least I can do for such a good dinner," Atem smiled back fully. _Now is perfect! Tell him right now!_ a tiny voice screamed from the back recesses of his mind.

  
"Glad you liked it. See you later?"

  
"Of course," Atem opened the back door and took a half step outside. _Do not leave this house until you tell him!_ He paused, shoulders stiff, before turning back to face Yami who gave him a questioning look. Atem didn't say anything immediately, just really _looked_ at the younger man--he had virtually gotten over the whole _'nineteen'_ thing in the span of a night. Young, but definitely a man, a smart and gorgeous one at that. Even the partial darkness did nothing to obscure Yami's shine.

  
"Is something wrong?"

  
Atem's throat felt so dry, like he hadn't had a drink in days. _Open your dumb mouth and say something!_ "I-I... I'm..." Fuck. He couldn't do it. "I'm alright, just... more tired than I thought." He'd rather just suffer than face possible rejection. _Oh you utter coward._

  
"Do you think you can still make it home okay?" the other asked with mild worry.

  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Atem smiled weakly. "Catch you later."

  
Yami still looked at him with some concern, but nodded. "Drive safely."

  
Even after bidding goodnight and leaving to his car, Atem didn't pull out of the parking space yet. Instead he sat there in the dark for a minute, elbows leaning on the steering wheel with his face in his hands. Damnit, he really was such a coward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of trouble during the last half of this chapter. I should probably mention that aside from certain scenes, I'm making most of this up as I go along, which is why it takes so long sometimes.
> 
> Also I apologize if Yami's introspection gets rather long-winded at times. I enjoy writing his thought process and my own headcanon is that he's the type that meticulously thinks about everything. I also like making Atem, who is far more outwardly emotional, suffer. =) As if that wasn't obvious. It makes his perspective fun to focus on during their interactions. That said though, I will be showing more of Yami's perspective during these times too.
> 
> Lastly, the dinner Yami made is an actual recipe I found online, in case anyone was curious! I don't have it saved anymore but if you were feeling adventurous I'm sure you could find it just by searching 'baked chicken with spinach stuffing'.


End file.
